Vol.1-Chapter 23 – Merely One Move

Entrance of the Mo mansion.

Zhao Jiuge led Mo Linger up the steps. The two big, stone lions were still silently stationed here. However, the auras of the eight guards were different than before. A killing intent spread out from the Mo mansion, which confused Zhao Jiuge.

As he walked up the steps to enter the Mo mansion’s courtyard, he noticed that the eight guards were all giving him unfriendly looks. There was doubt in his mind and his expression sank. The change to the Mo mansion was related to him. He then took a deep breath to calm himself and walked into the courtyard.

The courtyard.

As soon as Zhao Jiuge entered, the hairs on his body stood up. Zheng Jie was like a poisonous snake that had waited for his prey for hours, and at this moment, his aura exploded as he stared at Zhao Jiuge.

𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

After hearing footsteps, everyone raised their heads to look at Zhao Jiuge. The expression of the youth’s tender face changed for a moment before returning to normal. Like a lonely boat in the storm, no matter how dangerous it became, the boat would remain afloat.

Looking around, aside from Mo Longjie and the elders of the Mo family, there were dozens of guards in light armor standing in the yard. Mo Longjie still had a calm face, and no one knew what he was thinking. In addition, there was Old Mo, Old Yao, and several other elders. Their expressions made it seem like they were about to watch a good show as they measured Zhao Jiuge.

As for the dozens of guards in light armor, they seemed to be affected by Zheng Jie. They gave off killing intent and stared at Zhao Jiuge with ill intent.

A gust of wind blew the leaves in the yard. Seeing this, Zhao Jiuge felt like he understood something, but at the same time, he didn’t understand. He calmly looked at everyone but remained silent due to his own pride.

Zheng Jie looked at Zhao Jiuge and tried very hard to find a trace of nervousness and uneasiness in this youth who was ten years younger than him. However, he was disappointed, and the youth remained as calm as always. Thinking about how Zhao Jiuge was not taking him seriously at all, given the situation he had set up, he couldn’t help but become angry from embarrassment.

“Zhao Jiuge, I heard that even though you’re young, you managed to reach the Blood Movement Realm and have a powerful spirit force. Today, I, Mo family commander Zheng Jie, come ask you for advice.” He clasped his hands and his clothes flowed with them. His killing intent combined with his handsome face gave off an unspeakable aura. The guards of the Mo family looked at Zheng Jie in admiration, and some of the elders that Zhao Jiuge was unfamiliar with were all looking at Zheng Jie with shining eyes and gentle nods.

Zhao Jiuge’s pupils moved slightly, but he still didn’t say anything. He only looked at Mo Longjie. Mo Longjie still had a calm face, so no one knew what he was thinking. When he saw Zhao Jiuge look at him, he smiled and explained, “Oh, it's like this: Zheng Jie came to me this morning to talk about the three battles next month. The last spot was not given to him, and he wants to fight you for the last spot.” After he finished speaking, he looked at Zhao Jiuge with an inexplicable meaning in his gaze. Zhao Jiuge saw this feeling as shocking and strange.

After Zheng Jie issued his challenge, he saw that Zhao Jiuge hadn’t even looked at him, causing him to become even more angry. His eyes became cold and he decided to teach Zhao Jiuge a lesson during the fight.

Backyard of the Mo family, training field.

Zhao Jiuge and Zheng Jie stood opposite of each other. Facing Zheng Jie now, he was a bit annoyed. Although he was usually modest, that didn’t mean he didn’t have his own pride. From young, he had developed a personality where he would repay kindness with kindness and pay back any harm done to him.

“Commander, go!” The surrounding guards all raised their arms and shouted. Mo Linger didn’t want to fall behind, so she shouted, “Big Brother Jiuge, go, I believe in you.” Her two little hands were waving and her delicate face had a smile, but there was some worry in her eyes.

After hearing Mo Linger’s lovely cry, Zhao Jiuge’s calm expression changed as if a small rock was thrown in. Ripples spread and a gentle smile appeared on his face.

Just at this moment, Zheng Jie moved and an invisible ripple of spirit force spread out inside this training field. His right hand rose and spirit force surged from his body, entering the large blade in his hand. He rushed forward and instantly arrived before Zhao Jiuge. The blade was like a silver crescent moon as it smashed down through the air so fast that the friction against the air could be heard.

Zhao Jiuge still calmly stood there as Zheng Jie closed in with the blade, his black clothes moving due to the pressure from the spirit force. He watched the blade get closer and closer, and the light from the blade had become a little harsh. Then, in an instant, the blue sword behind him hummed as if it could not wait to battle.

In the blink of an eye, the large blade was already before Zhao Jiuge as he gently raised his right hand and the sword actually pointed at the edge of the blade. The longsword was not as bright as the large blade that shined like the moon.

The seemingly calm collision created a loud bang, but Zhao Jiuge didn’t retreat a single step as spirit force surged inside his body. Zheng Jie borrowed the power of gravity with a jump for that strike, but Zhao Jiuge was unharmed. There was a snake-like crack extending from the ground where Zhao Jiuge stood.

Zheng Jie’s hand felt numb after that flash. He retreated three steps and his expression became serious. He looked at the youth that was a head shorter than him. He hadn’t expected his own spirit force to be weaker than Zhao Jiuge’s.

The battle between the two looked slow to them, but for the people watching, it was only an instant. The guards in black armor were all shocked. They never would’ve thought that the normally powerful commander would lose out on the first strike. They all became quiet and stopped ridiculing this youth. Mo Linger, on the other hand, revealed a wide smile that showed off her two little dimples and her pearly-white teeth. There was a faint glow of red on her cheeks—she was so excited, it was as if she was the one fighting.

Mo Longjie still had the same expression as before and Old Mo still had that same kind smile. However, the expressions of the other elders here sank as they silently watched the training field.

Zheng Jie licked his lips and clenched his teeth as he rushed forward once more. His spirit force surged into the blade in his hand like crazy. He wanted to end this battle quickly.

When Zhao Jiuge saw Zheng Jie rushing over with no regard for his life, the corner of his mouth curved and his eyes became serious. Seeing how Zheng Jie was going all out, he decided not to hold back anymore either. After all, Zhao Jiuge was also getting angry at this stuff happening over and over again. Things would become boring if it kept on happening!

Using his superior physical power, just as Zheng Jie closed in, he rushed forward and arrived before Zheng Jie. Zheng Jie lost himself for a moment and praised how fast Zhao Jiuge was in his heart. His eyes widened as Zhao Jiuge kicked him in the chest. He felt pain and lost his center of balance before he flew back several meters. Blood flowed out from the corner of his mouth as he supported himself up.

Zhao Jiuge’s right hand that was holding the blue sword moved slightly and a few sword slashes flew out. However, only Zheng Jie’s clothes were torn apart—there was not a single wound on his body. Just the control of spirit force was enough to make people sweat.

Then he ignored everyone and calmly went back into his room. At this moment, the youth looked so tall to everyone. Zhao Jiuge didn’t care. After cultivating until now and coming to Dong Yang City, he was not as naive as he was in the past.

There were differences in cultivation methods. Some methods wouldn’t allow someone to even get past the Foundation Realm their entire life, while others would enable someone to rise above all others. The more he cultivated the Sanskrit Heart Sutra, the more he understood the difference between different cultivation methods. Although his cultivation level was the same as Zheng Jie’s, the late stage of the Blood Movement Realm, his spirit force was much more pure and stronger. Thinking about this, Zhao Jiuge felt grateful toward his teacher. Without his teacher, he wouldn’t have entered this path. Although the road would be dangerous, he didn’t regret it.