Martial King's Retired Life

A Young Man’s Skills

Although he did not seem to move fast, the young man sporting a paper-mache mask and teal attire disappeared as though he was an illusion. He had vanished from sight almost faster than Bai Zhiqing could see. Bai Zhiqing had yet to yell out when a silver projectile flitted out from his wife’s room violently enough to generate a loud gale. Despite being last to act, his wife able to intercept the masked man aerially. He spun onto the ground once he lost his momentum. Upon making contact with solid footing, the young man launched himself off the roof with a kick as though he could defy gravity.

Bai Zhiqing: My wife may be weaker than before, but she can virtually land all her shots with projectiles blindfolded, yet he was able to dismantle her attack effortlessly. Just who is he?

“You’re not getting away!” Instead of dallying on his thoughts, Bai Zhiqing drew his weapon and, capitalising on the time his wife bought, slashed eight air blades into the atmosphere, creating the impression that a white dragon was coiling towards heaven.

Bai Zhiqing’s two elder brothers defeated him every time they fought – weapons or no weapons. Despite his wife having helped him achieve uncharted heights in his internal discipline for broadswordplay, he was still a far cry from his two brothers, particularly his eldest brother, active in the pugilistic world.

Bai Zhiqing’s eldest brother was legitimately the best broadsword wielder alive. Ever since he reached mastery, he had been the target of broadsword challenges and still was. The thought of chasing his brother’s standard never crossed Bai Zhiqing’s mind – primarily attributed to the fact that he knew his brother was getting increasingly better than him. It was a rarely-known fact that Bai Zhiqing’s eldest brother, who claimed to be the fifth best broadsword wielder, was still improving in spite of his age.

Bai Zhiqing was dead last – but only in Bai Clan.

Bai Zhiqing’s slashes boxed the young man in due to the consecutive flurry. Alas, the young man dove into the net of blades and slipped out. By that point, it was self-evident as to why the young man was bold enough to sneak into Lady Bai’s room, and it was equally evident that Bai Zhiqing was not going to be able to stop him from escaping if that slash did not cut it. Nevertheless, the fan of tranquillity’s deliberate shout from before had drawn the attention of the others.

“You scum! How deplorable must you be to sneak into the room of someone’s wife and be so bold? Let this old man see what you’ve got!”

Bai Zhiqing was not surprised that Jin Buhuan was the first person to come to his aid, but he was surprised to see the young man somehow glide away from the colossal punch that descended from above.

However, as soon as he dodged the punch, a spurt of true qi had spawned besides him. Compared to Bai Zhiqing’s blade net, the swordsman’s petals of floating sword qi were inferior in density but superior in dexterity. His sword qi’s circumference covered several square metres, and it seemed to weaken the masked man’s true qi, inhibiting him from exhibiting his prior movements when dodging the projectile.

A scholar adorning teal clothing said from behind, “You must think lowly of our four clans.”

The masked young man sensed a spear of qi heading towards his back that would blast his body to smithereens. Before he could feel a certain way about the attack, Jin Buhuan was roaring as he uncorked an air-bending punch. Meanwhile, the hail of sword qi had been transformed into an invisible titanic sword closing in on him. At the same time, Bai Zhiqing churned out his second burst of true qi for another huge slash.

What should have sent their opponent to their doom ended up surprising them. It was as if their opponent was watching them from a throne above in the sky. The masked man drifted along with the winds generated and then revealed his face.

“Hua Yumeng offers his respects.”

The moment the four heard his voice, they all came to a consensus – their opponent had reached Divine Realm.

Given their vast knowledge and skin in the game against Divine Realm warriors, they knew what they were up against – a tough match. Nonetheless, they did not show any signs of weakness or demoralisation.

Likewise, the masked man knew he was in for a tough fight himself. Offering up a small smile, he said, “Farewell!”

The four patriarchs were suddenly enshrouded in darkness when it was daylight, robbed of their visual and auditory senses. Never had they encountered such an eerie experience before. They all assumed it was an Enlightenment ability, but they could not comprehend it, let alone determine how to escape the predicament. Out of nowhere, light shone in as if a canvas was being ripped apart, and they had returned to the world they were in previously.

The young man showed surprised for the first time as he looked at his hand, which held the object that saved the four from their predicament. He opened his hand to reveal a flower petal, then glanced towards Lady Bai’s room and haplessly smiled. “My apologies.”

When he departed this time, nobody stopped him.