"Bald donkey, what big words you have. Fists and feet have no eyes; should you fall injured and maimed due to inferior skills, don’t blame me, Zhou."

Zhou Qing snorted coldly, directly addressing him as ’bald donkey,’ indicating his already hostile tone.

Previously addressed as Master, Shangguan Ke furrowed his brows on his horseback. Both considered themselves as highly skilled, one hailing from Dong County, the other from Bei County.

Without exception, both were hailed as geniuses within their clans from a young age, possessing extraordinary martial arts talents and having family resources tilted in their favor.

Canglan South County was already the smallest of the Three Canglan Counties, less prosperous than Dong County and Bei County. On their southward journey, numerous Sixth Grade villains died at their hands, none posing a threat to them.

Recently, Jiang Yao had entrusted the final assessment to them, both of whom were dismissive, harboring some disdain for the people of Nan County.

As they drew near the territory of the Qingyun Three Counties, suddenly an extremely thin monk with protruding bones appeared and boldly declared for them to jointly attack. How could Zhou Qing and Shangguan Ke not be infuriated, feeling the other’s arrogance and provocation?

Such arrogance and provocation could only be washed away with blood.

The sky was gloomy, with ink clouds churning as the deep spring rain intensified.

Under the curtain of rain, the battle concluded, the thin monk was soaked in blood, resembling a bloody figure with no trace of pain on his face, instead showing a hint of joy.

With hands clasped together, he uttered ’Amitabha Buddha,’ and upon concluding, a gentle golden glow erupted from his body, circulating around him, making him appear dignified and faintly emitting the sound of scriptures being recited.

Immediately, the blood on him was washed away by the rain, the bleeding ceased, and wounds rapidly healed under the golden light. His emaciated but clean body again donned simple blue monk robes, immune to wind and rain.

"Thank you, benefactors, for your guidance. Vajra Temple’s Zen Heart has learned well. Till we meet again, benefactors."

Zen Heart nodded slightly at them, grinned revealing a set of big white teeth, and walked steadily into the distance.

Under the curtain of rain, Zhou Qing and Shangguan Ke both gasped, their faces moving as they watched Zen Heart leave. At this moment, their previous arrogance and defiance were gone.

With hair disheveled and arms stinging continually dripping with blood, drenched completely by rain, Zhou Qing and Shangguan Ke could not afford to hold any reserve against Zen Heart. As a result, they couldn’t even repel the rain.

"That bald donkey... indeed has some strength." Zhou Qing’s arrogant face slightly changed, uttering a sentence, with a glint flashing in his eyes.

"But if it’s a life-and-death duel, victory and defeat remain uncertain."

Implying that Zhou Qing still had undisclosed cards, Shangguan Ke heard this and a strange glint flashed in her beautiful eyes as she too had something hidden.

However, both had hidden cards, but who could know if Zen Heart, the monk, also had unplayed cards? They both seemed to have realized this.

Their expressions changed momentarily, both standing silently in the rain for a while.

"Vajra Temple’s Zen Heart... indeed, such a powerful figure resides in the desolate southern part of Canglan South County!"

"Zen Heart’s martial arts bear the influence of Qingzhou’s Longfu Temple, Vajra Temple presumably has the Tao lineage heritage of Longfu Temple, not being a typical South County force... Zen Heart’s age surpasses ours, having cultivated longer. If I reach his age, I definitely won’t be weaker than him." Shangguan Ke commented, sheathing her blade.

Zhou Qing concurred, sheathing his sword as well, both acknowledging that Vajra Temple was not a regular Bei County force but rather a branch with lineage inheritance from Qingzhou’s major powers, producing formidable figures like Zen Heart wasn’t too surprising.

If they had cultivated the same length of time, both believed they might even have a chance to challenge the legendary Martial Artist Secret Realm.

Thus, they only respected Zen Heart somewhat, but had little change in their views of the upcoming journey to the Qingyun Three Counties, considering the assessment as merely a formality, with Vajra Temple and Taiping Dao being the only things worth noting.

Zhou Qing and Shangguan Ke were exceptionally talented, thus after the duel, both gained insights and surprisingly felt grateful for Zen Heart’s provocation.

Immediately they leaped onto horseback, not hurrying ahead, choosing instead to close their eyes and carefully digest the insights from the duel.

Simultaneously, they also gained a deeper understanding of the competitiveness beside them, as both revealed their true strengths during the battle.

Both were at the Pill Force level, late-sixth grade, with Three of the Five Viscera Tempered.

One possessed Jiao Tendons, the other Jade Bone.

...

South the sunrise, north the rain.

The sun was high above Qingyun City’s head, but within the city, the atmosphere was solemn with an ominous tension akin to the mountains before a storm.

Once the Taiping Dao envoy emerged from Black Forest Mountain, the territory of the Three Counties quietly began its maneuvers. Ordinary citizens couldn’t detect the covert deployment, yet before the soldiers moved, the logistics began!

On the eve of battle, the city’s major forces, merchants, and others smelled an unusual scent, as prices in the city began to rise steadily. Recently, some left Qingyun City with their families, but more brought their entire families into the city.

Having a keener sense of the impending battle were the people inside the Forging Workshop, who suddenly realized the situation.

Since several years ago, the Qingyun Government Office had placed numerous orders for blade soldiers and armor, and now Wu Lie and the three master craftsmen realized that County Magistrate Tao had likely been preparing in secret for years.

Recently, Su Mu sent a letter of reassurance to the Forging Workshop after disguising himself.

Wu Lie and the three master craftsmen breathed a sigh of relief upon receiving news from Su Mu, though they faintly sensed some oddity, yet as long as Su the kid was fine, they felt it was okay.