Chapter 25: Silent Shock
The morning of the next day, in front of the number one courtyard of the top hundred junior disciples.
Ten senior disciples dressed in imposing black clothes while carrying swords with their arms crossed stood in front of the courtyard doors. They exclaimed: "We've long since heard of Junior Brother Lin's superb Sword Arts, now we've come to have a friendly spar or two."
His words caused uproar for all the junior disciples.
"Shameless, absolutely shameless!"
"They even went so far as to intend taking turns against him, too despicable!"
"I've underestimated how shameless the senior disciples can be, and I thought yesterday was bad, but it's nothing compared to today!"
"Does this bunch of senior disciples even care about their images anymore? Senior brother Lin Yi merely beat three of them, then ten more appear today, simply inconceivable! If he were to beat them all today, would a hundred show up tomorrow? A thousand even?"
"This is nothing but a blatant act of suppressing a newcomer, there's no doubt that the lower courtyard top hundred are jealous of Senior Brother Lin Yi's talent, they fear that he will be a threat to their chances of entering the upper courtyard, which is why they sent so many people to suppress him!"
"I had long since heard of how black hearted the lower courtyard can be, I did not believe it before, but now I've finally realized how naive I was!"
"The behavior of the lower courtyard top hundred, are far too unsightly!"
The emotions of the junior disciples were turbulent, every one of them were filled with indignation, faces awash with fury.
The actions of the senior disciples have thoroughly enraged them!
"Silence!"
"We of the Huashan lower courtyard have always advocated the freedom of challenges. It's not just you junior disciples who can freely challenge us, we too as senior disciples are free to challenge you!"
"Any who are dissatisfied, come forward and stake your challenge!"
A senior disciple came forth, his face the colour of cold arrogance, righteously bellowed in a stern manner, his powerful voice drowned out all the voices of the junior disciples.
"I stand here before you, those who are dissatisfied, come forth, I am waiting!"
All of the junior disciples who heard those words gradually withdrew their anger, not daring to make a peep.
The senior disciple's vigorous figure and electrifying glare struck terror into the junior disciples. Measuring their own capabilities, they were morbidly aware that they were simply no match for that senior disciple.
"Hmph! weren't you lot just yapping happily seconds ago? Now not even one of you dares to come forth!"
"The shame I feel to be in such company, nothing but all talk!"
The senior disciple laughed with contempt, his smile laced with disdain.
The faces of the junior disciples were struck with grief, humiliated into lowering their heads, their glares furious, and bellies full of fury. Though their fists were clenched tightly, none of them darer to utter a word.
In the underground martial world, only true strength was respected, although the senior disciples words were harsh and filled with insults, no one could refute the truth behind them.
"Senior Brother Lin Yi, you need to succeed for our sakes, firmly beat the conceit out of these bunch of arrogant senior disciples, they really are too despicable!"
"It's too detestable, too grief inducing!"
"Argggh, I can't stand it any longer, never have I been so humiliated!"
"It's all up to Senior Brother Lin Yi now; hopefully he can keep up his winning streak from yesterday, beat this bunch of senior disciples good!"
"As I see it, it will be difficult, these ten people are all comparable to those of the lower courtyard top hundred, not only that, they clearly intend to take turns against Senior Brother Lin Yi in order to tire him out on the stage!"
"Senior Brother Lin Yi is in danger!"
The junior disciples were roaring in their hearts for Lin Yi to wash away their humiliation. However, looking at the fearless expressions of the senior disciples, every one of them turned taciturn, expressions unsightly.
Hesitation crept up in their hearts.
Senior Brother Lin Yi may be strong, but is he strong enough to stand up to ten people who were working together against him?
A person's stamina has its limits; Senior Brother Lin Yi will eventually be tired out!
All the junior disciples were anxious out of their wits.
On one hand they wanted Lin Yi to avenge them; on the other hand they did not want Lin Yi to show up or to accept that sinister challenge for a sparring match.
……
"Do you reckon if Senior Brother Lin Yi will be able to surpass such an ordeal?" Jiang Xiaoyu looked over at Yu Hai beside him.
"It's fifty-fifty …." Yu Hai was silent for a moment, smiled bitterly: "Senior Brother Lin Yi is really powerful, his insight towards Sword Arts profound. If he were to face off against any single one of them, he would win with absolute certainty. However, there are ten of them, all of them intend to exhaust Senior Brother Lin Yi over his limit!"
"You may be right!" Jiang Xiaoyu nodded his head, but then continued: "! But I still believe that Senior Brother Lin Yi will win, exactly because he is Senior Brother Lin Yi, he will not be defeated!"
Towards Jiang Xiaoyu's absolute faith in Senior Brother Lin Yi, Yu Hai could only smile bitterly while shaking his head; Senior Brother Lin Yi is a human, not a deity!
On the other side, Han Bai looked expressionlessly at ten senior disciples blocking the doors.
The flickering in his eyes carrying the deep seated turmoil in his heart.
"Lin Yi, I hope that you can surpass this ordeal!"
Eyes filled with complexity, he gazed at the number one courtyard. Han Bai secretly muttered in his heart.
……
"Junior Brother Lin Yi, come on out, accept our challenge, don't even think you can hide from us like a turtle cowering in its shell, Huashan has no cowards!"
"Even in the face of death, you have to fight to the finish!"
The senior disciple's voice boomed with an adamant sense of firmness, spreading throughout the courtyards of the top hundred junior disciples.
Squeak …
The gates of the number one courtyard opened, out came a teenager dressed in sleek white clothes, he gazed expressionlessly at the ten senior disciples lining up in front of the door who were emanating an air of intimidation.
The teenager was obviously Lin Yi.
"Since you lot think so highly of little ol' me, then come at me with whatever abilities you've got, I'll take you on!"
Readily accepting the challenge, without the slightest hesitation.
The ten senior disciples were inwardly shocked by Lin Yi's bearing, but decided to overlook it.
They sneered in their hearts, no matter how formidable Lin Yi was, today will be his downfall.
With ten senior disciples who are each comparable to the lower courtyard top hundred joining hands to take turns against a single opponent, who could possibly beat those odds?
Even one of the hundred would not dare bet on it!
These ten people, each of them have practiced Huashan Sword Arts to the peak of perfection, one step behind transcendence.
……
"Let's fight!"
Lin Yi gave a cold snort, yet his eyes twinkled with an almost imperceivable hint of delight.
His current mood was not like what the junior disciples thought to be, which was solemn, and pressured to the extreme.
Instead, he felt fantastic, and quite pleasantly surprised.
He never thought that the person behind all this from among the top hundred would suddenly send out ten unranked people as a gift for him.
Does he mean to send some serious amounts of combat experience points my way?
Well, either way I'm taking it!
In the future, I'll have to properly repay that person, gratitude for sending me experience points.
To actually be so caring as to especially deliver them to me.
He could also tell, that these senior disciples were the last of them that were unranked, once he's beaten them, next time's opponents will be from the top hundred for sure!
In other words, this was his last opportunity to unexpectedly gain any combat experience points.
That being the case, Lin Yi had no more reasons for pretending to be weak.
Whether I pretend or not, does not change the amount of experience points I get.
No more, no less.
Holding back would just be exhausting himself, better to use lightning-quick tactics to beat down every single one of them, that would better spread his fame, and get more people to pay attention to him.
Then what have I to keep pretending for?
With his mind made up, a faint smile appeared on Lin Yi's expressionless face.
……
"Please!"
"Please!"
The first senior disciple came forth, both combatants held their swords while cupping their hands, the surrounding people all backed off, leaving a large open space for the two to do battle.
"I heard that your Sword Arts are proficient at defending, absolutely impregnable. Today we shall see if your defense or my sword is stronger!"
The senior disciple gave a hearty laugh, unsheathed his sword, and lashed out with a Sword Step.
Huashan Movement Arts was unlike the other Lightness Skills in the underground martial world which were used for flash steps, evasive maneuvers, means of movement in general.
They were meant to go hand in hand with Sword Arts, which for the most part were used for offense.
Huashan Movement Arts among its practitioners had another name, which was – the Sword Step.
This senior disciple was pretty good at combining Huasan Movement Arts with Sword Arts, almost in the blink of an eye; he and his sword cut a swath to arrive right before Lin Yi.
This sword strike, as if invoking the wrath of nature, flashed with a frigid radiance.
Chilling Sword Nine States Illumination!
That is the sword technique.
It was as if this sword contained the essence of heaven and earth.
Undodgeable and unavoidable, overbearing to the extreme.
The junior disciples all around were shocked into a stupor.
"This sword …"
"Actually contains a trace of transcendence, transcendence, stellar Sword Arts, conform towards the essence of heaven and earth. Although it appears pristine and natural, without a trace of menace; but it's actually oppressive beyond compare, because that is the essence of heaven and earth, neither dodgable nor avoidable!"
"This fellow actually reached the realm of transcendence!"
"Too powerful! This senior disciple is really dauntless. This time, can Senior Brother Lin Yi withstand it?"
Everyone was in an uproar, utterly bewildered by this senior disciple's sword technique.
Even Jiang Xiaoyu, Yu Hai and Han Bai were dumbstruck, staring unceasingly at the sword strike: "Can this be a transcendent Sword Art?"
"Haha, even if it has not really reached the realm of transcendence, coming into contact with a mere trace of transcendence, even if Lin Yi can avoid death, he would be forced to shed a layer of skin!" The rest of the nine senior disciples observed the junior disciples who were so astonished that their mouths were agape; they began laughing uproariously, with a trace of contempt.
Everyone else was silent, with their hearts clenched, glanced at Lin Yu, worriedly thought: "Could Senior Brother Lin Yi take on such an attack?"
……
Like an Immortal soaring beyond the heavens, the sword came stabbing forth.
Lin Yi eyes suddenly lit up, secretly nodded, but did not panic in the slightest.
With a finger flick on his sword's sheath, he ejected the three foot long green sword into the air, Lin Yi grasped the sword with his right hand, his body moved like lightning, rushing straight towards the senior disciple, clashing head first against that awe inspiring sword strike.
With a stab, a whirl and a coil, he guided the senior disciple's sword clockwise.
Then follows a downwards smack of his sword.
The senior disciple could not maintain his grip on the sword and it fell downwards.
Lin Yi's sword landed on the shoulder of the senior disciple.
Even though so much has happened, everything ended in a flash.
A second prior everyone was still awe struck by the power of the senior disciple's sword strike, in the next, Lin Yi had already knocked that sword away and landed his sword on his opponent's shoulder.
Victory to Lin Yi!
"This…."
Everyone was staring wide-eyed at this scene, they started rubbing their eyes, thinking that they were seeing things, yet when they were finished, the reality remains unchanged, their jaws began to drop, incapable of muttering a single word.
Shocking, utterly shocking!
The silence accompanied by such shock far expressed the amazement in their hearts than any thunderous exclamation.
No matter whom it was or what they were doing.
As of this moment, it was as if time itself was frozen.
It was akin to everyone having their pause button pressed.
There was only Lin Yi who blinked his eyes, seeing no movement from anyone, he coughed softly: "Ahem …."
"W-wow!"
Everyone then began moving again, the first thing they did was break into a clamor of exclamation.
The crowd was in a buzz!
Screaming, astonishment, shock, shrieking, yelling….
Everyone was immersed in expressing their inner feelings of shock.