Chapter 27: Our Generation of Warriors Should Forge Ahead Unflinchingly!

He looked at Li Changan, who stood in the center of the courtyard, seemingly not the least bit surprised by their arrival.

The prison bureau ensign who had been kicked flying by Li Changan at the very beginning said in a mixture of shock and suspicion, "You knew we were coming? And you could even detect us while we were utilizing the 'Formless Breath-Concealing Art'? How is that possible?!"

They had originally intended to hide in the shadows to monitor Li Changan for a period of time, observing whether this young man possessed any supernatural qualities, before reporting their findings to Haerchi and awaiting further instructions.

Never did they expect that having just sneaked in for a few mere minutes, before they even had a chance to spy on anything, they would be so sharply detected by Li Changan.

Not only that, but this youth did not seem surprised by their arrival in the slightest.

Or rather, looking at his calm and composed demeanor, it seemed more as if he had laid a trap and was waiting for them to walk right into it.

But what baffled them most was that from the very moment they received the order from Lord Haerchi, they had rushed over without a single pause, making it impossible for any news to have leaked along the way.

So how on earth did this youth before them know they were coming?

Li Changan naturally would not tell them that he knew through the Samsara Mark, nor did he have any intention of explaining things to them, speaking indifferently, "Is it just the few of you? Are there any other big fish?"

The several prison bureau ensigns exchanged glances, all seeing the look of astonishment in each other's eyes.

Clearly, the youth before them was shrouded in peculiarity; no wonder Lord Haerchi had personally designated them to handle the case and had dispatched so many hands at once.

Since eavesdropping in secret had failed, taking him back for interrogation and torture would serve just as well.

Returning empty-handed was certainly not the style of their prison bureau.

After exchanging looks, the men reached a silent consensus, and a fierce, bloody battle was triggered in an instant.

There were six prison bureau ensigns in total, well-trained and with clear divisions of labor; four of them threw themselves toward Li Changan in unison, while only the leading black-robed man and another black-robed companion targeted Wang Su.

Seeing this situation, Wang Su's heart went cold.

The six prison bureau ensigns were each masters of the Martial Master realm.

If it were a one-on-one duel, none of these six would be his match, but if only two were sent to stall him, it would pose absolutely no problem for them over a short duration.

And judging from the current situation, once he was pinned down, Li Changan's predicament over there would become extremely perilous.

One must remember that this was a siege by five Martial Master level ensigns.

Even he would have to avoid their sharp edge; no matter how monstrously talented Li Changan was, he was currently nothing more than an underage boy, so how long could he hold out?

Thinking of this, the expression on Wang Su's face turned somewhat unsightly, and he inquired in a low voice, "Changan, can you handle it?"

He had anticipated that the rebel army would be wanted by the court's martial arts experts, but he had never imagined the court would dispatch so many prison bureau ensigns just for a small force like theirs.

Such treatment could no longer be called highly rating them.

It was simply using a clever to kill a chicken.

Hearing this, Li Changan smiled and replied, "How can a man say he can't handle it? Master, just keep your eyes wide open and watch closely."

Seeing that he really did not seem to be joking, Wang Su finally felt a bit more at ease, slowly exhaling a breath of turbid air as he said, "These two were both wounded by you just now, you only need to hold out for five minutes, and your master will kill them to come help you."

Li Changan shook his head, revealing a trace of a smile as he said, "Master, what's the fun in competing over who can hold out longer? Why don't we see who can kill more, and who can do it faster?"

Hearing this, Wang Su fell into a daze.

Even at this critical, hair-raising juncture, he was still shocked by Li Changan's audacity.

He could not help but look back at this cheap disciple who was both familiar and strange, and after a long silence, he suddenly burst into loud laughter, "Good, good, good! We martial artists should charge forward without looking back!"

...

Seeing the two of them conversing as if no one else were around, seemingly regarding them as meat on a chopping block, the expressions on the faces of the prison bureau ensigns turned rather unsightly.

The members of the prison bureau, even if they were just ordinary members, were genuine descendants of the royal court, symbolizing the absolute ruling power of the Demon Qing Imperial Court over the Central Plains.

On ordinary days, the people of the Central Plains would tremble with fear just upon hearing their name, let alone actually facing them.

When had they ever seen two people who valued their lives so little as the pair before them?!

However, they were in no mood to argue with two dead men, and after shooting each other a glance, they each charged toward their respective targets.

Seeing this, Li Changan drew the long sabre resting on the table with a clattering ring, the inner energy within his body circulating rapidly like boiling water.

During this period, he had been constantly perusing those martial arts techniques and secret manuals stored in the archives of the Sanhuang County Magistrate's office, and paired with his heaven-defying comprehension and relentless hard cultivation, his rewards could be described as bountiful and his progress remarkably rapid.

It had to be said that the Demon Qing court truly treated people like animals.

After confiscating countless martial arts classics from the Central Plains, they had actually altered a portion of them in secret, maliciously compiling several unclassifiable, bootleg techniques.

These bootleg techniques would be given as rewards to the obedient people of the Central Plains.

Meanwhile, those authentic secret manuals were basically all collected into the library of the capital's royal court, only available for the descendants of the royal line to read.

For the people of the Central Plains practicing bootleg techniques, it was naturally impossible to comprehend the full profound truths of martial arts; how could a great tree that had been poisoned from its very roots ever flourish?

Fortunately, this despicable and underhanded trick of the Demon Qing court was nothing more than a trivial parlor trick in front of Li Changan, who possessed the talent of heaven-defying comprehension.

With just a single glance, Li Changan could detect the abnormalities and flaws within the techniques.

Thus, through his own efforts and the assistance of a tiny bit of an external cheat, finally, on his seventh birthday, he successfully broke through to the Martial Master realm.

The current him was already a genuine, certified Martial Master.

A seven-year-old Martial Master.

Never mind in this era where martial arts were withered and declining, even if placed five hundred years ago during the prosperous era of Central Plains martial arts, word of this would absolutely be explosive, earth-shattering news.

"Clang!"

The long sabre in Li Changan's hand clashed with that of a prison bureau ensign.

Metal roared and sparks flew in all directions.

Li Changan remained completely motionless, but that ensign's expression shifted repeatedly, his gaze toward Li Changan looking as though he were looking at a monster.

This boy before him, who had only just turned seven not long ago, actually possessed strength on par with a Martial Master like them who had practiced martial arts for twenty or thirty years.

How was this just being shrouded in peculiarity?

This was clearly a natural Martial God descended to earth.

After one strike, that ensign was almost scared out of his wits.

This strike had not shattered his courage; he simply felt a threat from Li Changan's person... a threat to the entire Demon Qing Dynasty.

Seeing that the man was completely dazed, Li Changan naturally would not miss the opportunity.

He immediately stepped forward, preparing to take this chance to eliminate the man, but just at this moment, the other several ensigns arrived, their poisoned daggers thrusting toward his neck.

Li Changan had no intention of playing a life-for-a-life game with them; with a few flickers of the Shadowless Step, he left three lifelike illusions in his original spot.

When he was in the Martial Artist realm, Li Changan could only leave faint afterimages when executing the Shadowless Step, but now that he had become a Martial Master and his internal energy was further condensed, Li Changan's speed was already fast enough to leave three afterimages behind him.

One could well imagine just how fast his speed was.

"Whiz!"

Amidst the sky full of afterimages, the sound of the long sabre cutting through the air was like a thunderclap, hacking heavily down upon the crown of that terrified ensign's head.

...