Chapter 16: The Prominent Ling Clan
Editor: Tennesh, Rainystars
The sun was rising, and shedding down a thousand rays of soft glory. It was warm and bright, and the beauty of the sunrise was infinite.
On the grand battle arena, everyone was watching with their mouths open, and their minds were blown.
It was plain and easy to observe that Ling Xian had trained to level five Qi. However, they could not believe someone whom they’ve called a handicap for so long actually had such capabilities.
The cultivation journey was a difficult one, where each little stage needs a long time of hard training to achieve, even during the most basic spiritual-training stage. A Qi level of five could be considered an intermediate level in the City of Qing. Within the collateral siblings of the clan, even Ling Bai with a well-known father who provided him with unlimited resources, could not reach that level.
A merely 14-year-old boy, with no background and nobody supporting him, has already reached level five Qi. What kind of natural talent was needed for this to happen?
Unless…unless Miss Ling has been secretly supplying him with money and training?
Many people started to link what was happening to the rumor.
Sensing Ling Xian’s murderous intent, Ling Bai shuddered. However, he pretended to be strong and calm, "Wow, Ling Xian, it seems like you have no trouble taking advantage of a woman. You only have today’s achievement because you have been leeching off of Miss Ling, am I right?"
"Hmm?"
Frowning, Ling Xian glanced over at the watching crowd. He wasn’t sure what was going on, but he had a bad premonition.
"It seems like I am right, you are a man toy who leeches off women!" Ling Bai face was filled with disdain and a trace of jealousy.
From his point of view, there was no way a notorious handicap could be stronger than him. The only way it was possible was that Ling Tian Xiang had granted Ling Xian some sort of treasure, which allowed him to practice and speedily reach level five Qi.
That was the only reasonable explanation!
Ling Bai grunted, the flame of hatred in his heart was flaring up.
"Leeches off women?" Ling Xian’s face turned cold as level five Qi began pouring out, shaking and engulfing the entire arena.
The murderous atmosphere sent shivers down everyone’s spine.
"Ling Bai, you better explain yourself. What did you mean by that?" Ling Xian stared at him heartlessly, anger was rising in his chest.
"Explain what? What’s there to explain? You are a handicap who relied on Miss Ling to achieve this level of training. There are no other ways to explain you having a greater achievement than me!" Though Ling Bai was a bit taken aback by the ferocious atmosphere, his anger outperformed his fear. He sarcastically mocked, "You are a leech! I am number one in the Ling Clan. Even if you are one level higher than me, you are not good enough to be my opponent. I will beat you today until you beg me to stop. I will show Miss Ling how worthless you really are!"
As he spoke, he waved his hand, a three-foot-long sword appeared out of thin air.
He was very arrogant. Even though Ling Xian was a level higher, when he thought of the sword his father spent a fortune on, he could not help it but to be smug. Laughing hysterically, he said, "You leech, if you admit your wrongs and kowtow to me, I will spare you. If you don’t, I will torture you until you beg me to kill you!"
Ling Xian remained silent. His stare turned colder.
It was obvious that what Ling Bai said had provoked him.
To be identified as someone who leeches off women would have angered anyone. Ling Xian was no exception. He marched forward one step, his robe dancing. His presence swallowed the entire arena and made everyone shiver in fear.
"Ling Xian, die!"
Ling Bai yelled loudly as he waved his sword. Slits of lights pierced the air, brightening the earth and the sky. Entrenched with his spiritual mana, the sword attempted to slice Ling Xian.
The Tidal Sword Technique.
This was a technique that behaved like sea waves, where each strike was stronger than the previous, and each strike begins before the previous one ends. When one strike lands, one cannot block the rest of the strikes due to their fast speed and immense strength. This technique was one of the top divine techniques treasured by the Ling Clan. The previous owners have used this sword and this technique to defeat two high-level Masters.
Ling Xian froze a little. He did not know what this technique was, but he could feel the powerfulness of it. From the bright light the sword gave off and the overlapping strikes, the technique was giving off an overwhelming demeanor!
Closing his eyes for a second and then opening them again, the Eyes of Execution appeared. The pair of black and white eyes were flowing with mysteriousness. Instantly, the rapid strike of the sword slowed down infinitely from his point of view. It was slowed to the point where Ling Xian could pinpoint the track and predict the direction of the strike.
"This way!"
Between the endless rays of sword strikes, there was one ray that was not as fast as the previous one. This hint of delay was the Tidal Sword Technique’s tragic flaw. If one could break this strike, then the entire technique would fall apart, as the waves that were supposed to come after it will be interrupted.
Ling Xian began to draw out his spiritual mana and formed a shield before him to block the strike. Then, with his fist, he punched!
Bang!
Converging all his strength into that punch, he counter-attacked the strike, and in a flash, the ray after ray of light evaporated into thin air. The entire demeanor of the technique was killed; the waves of strikes stopped.
The Tidal Sword Technique, the famous technique in the City of Qing, was so easily destructed by Ling Xian!
"This is impossible! How could someone break the Tidal Sword Technique! What kind of witchcraft are you using?" Seeing the rays of light disappear, Ling Bai was in shock. He screamed uncontrollably as he plunged into disbelief – more disbelief than when he realized Ling Xian had a higher Qi level than him.
The crowd fell into an idle state at first, then the babbling started.
"How could the number one technique of the Ling Clan be defeated so easily?
"Oh my heavens, am I seeing things right? Our ancestors used this technique to defeat two amazing Masters, how could it be broken? Am I developing eyesight issues?"
"Unbelievable! Seeing that Ling Xian outpowered Ling Bai was not that shocking, after all, he is one Qi level higher. However, his ability to see through the weakness of the sword technique was ridiculous!"
The pair of black and white eyes disappeared, and Ling Xian’s expression returned to normal. Defending himself against the Tidal Sword Technique was casual and easy. The technique that was famous in the City of Qing, when compared to the legendary set of Inner Eyes, was worthless.
The Eyes of Execution was the fourth-ranked Inner Eyes. The ability to see through a Taoism technique was its very basic function. The Tidal Sword Technique was nothing.
"Impossible, this is impossible… " Ling Bai mumbled to himself as if he had lost his soul. He spent a good ten years on this technique, and he barely mastered it. He has been dreaming of using this sword and this technique to terminate everyone that stood in his way. The technique he spent his life on, the technique the entire clan was smug about, was so easily destroyed by Ling Xian. Ling Bai’s dreams were shattered, and his mentality and energy were greatly strained.
"Nothing is impossible. Every technique has a weakness. If one pays full attention, one can find the flaw," Ling Xian said softly.
"I don’t believe you! How could someone who depends on a woman, break a family technique? It must have been good luck! Yes, that must be it." Ling Bai lied to himself. His pupils brightened again as he summoned his spiritual mana and prepared to swing his sword at Ling Xian again.
However, he only had enough time to raise his sword up when Ling Xian darted before him. Wrapping his right hand in spiritual mana, he grabbed the sharp blade of the sword.
Click!
Ling Xian tightened his fist. The sword creaked, cracked, and crumbled to the ground.
"If you apologize now, I will forgive your past misdeeds," Ling Xian’s stare was bleak.
"You are a handicap! You think you can do better than me because you use Miss Ling? In your dreams!" Ling Bai snickered and challenged, "So you are a level higher than me. So what? My dad is a deacon. If you hurt a single hair on me, I will make sure your life is a living hell!"
"You think I’m scared to hurt you?" Smirking, Ling Xian crisply kicked his stomach, broke his spiritual barrier and lunged him into the sky.
Without any hesitation, Ling Xian pressed his right foot to the ground. Like an arrow departing from a bow, he launched himself above Ling Bai’s body and grabbed his ankles. Aiming towards to the ground, he threw him down hard!
Bang!
After spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood, Ling Bai felt that his bones had become detached. He screamed in pain, "Dammit, Ling Xian you handicap! You dare to hurt me, I will kill you!"
"You want to kill me? Then I will kill you first," Ling Xian’s eyes were ice cold. First, Ling Bai decided to provoke him for absolutely no reason. Now, he was already beaten to half-death and still threatens to kill him without any hints of regret. He really did deserve to die!
"Dammit!" Feeling Ling Xian’s overwhelming murderous resolve, Ling Bai’s heart was shivering with fear. He forced himself to stand up, ignored his wounds, and summoned all his spiritual mana into his right palm. Instantly, his right palm turned bright red and sent out a swamping wave of heat. He pushed forward.
"Flame Palm!"
"A fire technique?" Ling Xian’s eyes narrowed. He too, pushed forward his right palm. Because he had no knowledge of any techniques, the only thing he was releasing was the fifth level Qi. Despite the ordinariness of the energy, it was overpowering and threatening.
Boom!
The two palms met. An explosion of air ballooned the arena. Ling Xian’s right hand was thunderous and charring. When he pushed forward, there was no stopping of his fist. First, it dispersed the flame extended out of Ling Bai’s hand, and then, it harshly hit his chest.
Puff!
Ling Bai staggered backward, by ten steps, before he threw up more blood. The way he looked at Ling Xian was full of terror.
The arena was dead silent.
Nobody could move; nobody could make a sound; nobody could think straight.
"Defeated! The number one member, Ling Bai, was defeated with one palm from Ling Xian!"
"This is not that strange. Ling Xian was level five Qi, and Ling Bai was only level four. There was too much of a difference between their level of training. The only thing I am surprised by, is Ling Xian’s ability to see the flaw in the Tidal Sword Technique."
"First defending the Tidal Sword Technique, then defeating the number one collateral sibling; oh heavens, this handicap is rising!"
The crowd was watching Ling Xian with their eyes and mouths wide open. In their eyes, there were astonishment, jealousy, and even passion.
They believed that after this battle, Ling Xian’s name would not only resonate with the whole collateral family, even the direct Ling descendants will be shocked!
All this was caused by Ling Xian seeing through the Ling Clan’s cherished Tidal Sword Technique!
"Standing before undeniable dexterity, all struggles are futile." Ling Xian was composed and calm. Looking at horrified Ling Bai, he whispered, "Now, can you explain to me what is going on?"
Chapter 17: Astounding the City of Qing
Editor: Tennesh, Rainystars
The Tidal Sword Technique was a divine technique that belonged to the Ling Clan. In the small City of Qing, this technique was alternatively called the invincible swordplay. However, it was defeated by a collateral trainee, who was born without the ability to practice Taoism.
This news travelled fast. Very soon, every single Ling household has heard the news. Even the city palace and the other two clans, have heard the rumors.
There were a lot of people at the arena, who were there, when the event happened. Therefore, the news of Ling Xian breaking the technique spread swiftly. Those who heard the news fell into shock, but slowly accepted the reality after the initial tense rejection.
On top of everything, the technique was broken by a public-appointed handicap. He was also able to conquer the technique by pinpointing its weakness rather than fighting it head on with stronger spells. To the Ling Clan, this story was almost a fictional fable.
In the Taoism community, every technique was created by very capable ancestors. Countless predecessors put their blood and soul into building a technique, even the lowest ranked ones were infused with Taoism knowledge that only came with time. No technique could easily be seen through. Those who were able to do so were considered to have a legendary and natural understanding of the Taoism principles. In other words, these people had to be masters of the realms.
To defeat a technique by counterattacking with a stronger spell, could not be categorized as breaking a technique. Truly breaking a spell was to find the spell’s fundamental flaw and destruct the attack.
The Tidal Sword Technique was a swordplay that passed the test of time and caused headaches for the other two clans in the city. The Ling Clan’s ancestors used it to defeat two masters and fought across the City of Qing. The other clans in the city studied it for centuries, but still had no luck finding any flaws.
However, now, the swordplay that was known to be invincible was broken by a young cultivator with no name. What kind of genius was this person?
At the center hall of the Ling palace, a middle-aged man was practicing calligraphy inside his study room. Around 40 years old, he wore a white long robe, and his face was handsome with a touch of class.
He was the clan leader of the Ling Clan. Half a step away from completing the core-building stage of his training, his name was Ling Tian Qing.
Currently, he was fully concentrated on his writing brush. He drew one character on the rice paper.
“Endure.”
The brush slithered across the paper like a snake, creating a masterpiece.
Carefully evaluating the character he put down on paper, the most respected man of the clan shook his head lightly and whispered, “The rain and the wind is already inside my home, endure… how can endurance alone promise safety for my clan in the upcoming war.”
He waved his hand. The writing “endure” disappeared immediately.
Another one emerged.
“Battle.”
Like a dragon’s claw, the ink clung onto the paper, and thoroughly dyed the paper. The presence of the “battle” character was completely different from the character “endure”. It was as if the written word was going to shoot up through the cloud. The room reeked of iciness.
“How do we battle? The opponents are strong and I am weak. It’s like fighting a rock when I am an egg. Even though I have the will and the resolve to fight until death, in a world that follows survival of the fittest rule, outsiders will only laugh at my stupidity to keep fighting. This will end the reputation that my clan has built for centuries.” After a long sigh, Ling Tian Qing frowned and slipped into deep thoughts.
As the Ling Clan’s clan leader, he appeared powerful and charismatic. However, there were hundreds of lives on his back, relying and depending on him. This cultivator has been emotionally exhausted for a long time. He has already grown grey hair.
Ling Tian Qing was interpersonal, reasonable, and bright. His talent has been obvious to others since a young age, resulting in him stepping up as the clan leader at the age of 24. 16 years of hard work, without ever expecting a thank you, he had successfully established the weakest clan into one that was now considered equal with the other two clans.
He was known as a rare alpha male.
If he had spent less energy and time on managing the Ling Clan, he would’ve reached the core-building stage a long time ago. Instead, he was only halfway there.
“With a war on the rise, where does the Ling Clan stand? Where will my Ling Clan go?” Ling Tian Qing’s face was full of complex bitterness. “Endure it is not the way to go, but battling it is not the solution either. Is the Ling Clan really going to diminish in my hands?”
At that instant, a shadow barged into the study room and yelled, “Big brother! I bring good news!”
“Hmm?” Ling Tian Qing looked at his twin brother, Ling Tian Jiao, and questioned, “What kind of good news can make you, who has always been prudent, barge into my room without knocking?”
Ling Tian Qing ignored his statement and forgot about the respectful gestures he usually shows. He grabbed Ling Tian Qing’s hand and laughed. “Haha, big brother! Someone has found the fatal flaw in our clan’s divine Tidal Sword Technique!”
“What!?”
The first impression anyone has for Ling Tian Qing was that he was graceful and elegant. Currently, however, his face was full of shock.
[Impossible.]
[How could anyone break my clan’s Tidal Sword Technique?]
“Haha, when I heard the news, my expression reflects yours.” Ling Tian Jiao was immensely proud of himself. He was really enjoying the surprised look his brother was displaying.
Ling Tian Qing was in shock for a long time. Slowly, he calmed down and dragged himself back to reality. Then, he whispered, “Second brother, are you sure you are not kidding with me? Someone really found the weakness of the Tidal Wave Technique? Someone broke it down?”
“Big brother, calm yourself down. What I’m saying is absolutely the truth. I would never lie about something this important!” Ling Tian Jiao suppressed his smile and spoke in a serious tone.
“If that’s the truth… at such a crucial time, our clan’s strongest technique was broken. Do the heavens want my clan to become extinct?” Ling Tian Qing was just about to get a little hysterical, when he suddenly remembered the excited way Ling Tian Jiao looked. He bashed, “Why are you so happy that our Tidal Sword Technique was broken down? If I didn’t watch you grow up, I would be suspicious that you are a spy for the other two clans!”
“Big brother, please calm your anger. How could I be a traitor?” Ling Tian Jiao explained hurriedly, “I am excited because the one who broke our technique was a member of our clan! Not an outsider!”
“Someone from our clan.” Ling Tian Qing realized. “Who? Who in our clan saw the flaw of our Tidal Sword Technique? Is it our father?”
“Not our father, but someone else.” Ling Tian Jiao smiled mysteriously, he purposely did not reveal who the person was.
Recognizing the fact that Ling Tian Jiao was purposely making a big deal out of it, he became very angry and screamed, “If you play with my emotions anymore, I will beat you until your butt splits!”
“Big brother, don’t be mad, I will tell you now,” Ling Tian Jiao realized that his brother was getting serious about hurting him, so he quickly soothed, “Big brother, this person is named Ling Xian, he is a sibling of the clan.”
“Ling Xian? It sounds a bit familiar…” Ling Tian Qing thought about it for a second. “Are you sure he is in our clan?”
“Don’t worry, I have investigated. He is not a mere collateral sibling who was given the Ling name. He truly does have the ancestral Ling blood flowing through him. There is nothing unusual.” After hearing the news, he thoroughly investigated Ling Xian’s background. After all, this news was important. If it were an outsider who broke the technique, then he would’ve found a way to terminate that person.
“I recall now. He is the kid whose parents died on a mission. The one who was born with an inability to practice?” Ling Tian Qing frowned. How could a handicap pinpoint the fatal flaw of the Tidal Sword Technique?
“That is correct. Despite his inability to practice Taoism, Master Fang has often claimed that he was born talented. On top of that, he has already reached level five qi and he defeated the Tidal Sword Technique in one go. Everyone at the arena are witnesses.” Ling Tian Jiao found it strange also that a handicap could somehow acquire level five qi and find the flaw in the technique. However, reality was in front of him and he had to believe it.
A hint of wisdom flashed across Ling Tian Qing’s eyes, and he softly grinned. “This kid has been through hardships. It could be that his parents both have passed on, therefore he chose to cultivate in secret, or something unusual happened to him.”
“Big brother, should we investigate deeper?” Ling Tian Jiao asked.
“Definitely not,” Ling Tian Qing shook his head and answered sternly, “If this person was not one within the clan, I would’ve killed him immediately. However, because the Ling blood flows inside him and you have made sure that he is not a traitor, then we must foster him. He is a rare talent that the heavens have given us. We cannot agitate him by trying to uncover his secrets.”
Ling Tian Jiao paused. “But…”
Before he could finish, Ling Tian Qing interrupted. “I understand your worry, but think about it. Everyone has secrets. If we decide to chase to the end of everyone’s secret, then we would be hurting each member within our clan. If we decide to spy on him, we would lose more this talented kid. We would also startle the clan and lose everyone’s trust.”
Ling Tian Jiao seemed to have understood. He stayed silent for a while. “You are right. I understand.”
“As long as you know where I am coming from. The most important quality a clan needs is teamwork. Do not disunite others because of the little things. If we do so, we will eventually become extinct.” Ling Tian Qing lightly smiled and gazed at the white clouds outside his window. He was full of anticipation.
“Luck has blessed us. The rare genius who saw through the Tidal Wave Technique was a member of our clan. Could it be… that the divination symbol casted by the mysterious elderly landed on this young kid?”
…...
At the same time, inside the central palace…
Ye Xiao Tian was sitting peacefully on the majestic chair that represented supreme position and power. He had listened to all his assistants’ reports by now. Even though he had political duties to take care of, he could not help but to forget about his title, focus on his own cultivation journey, and participate in the recent gossip.
Before he stepped up as mayor of the city, he visited the Ling Clan in attempt to acquire the Tidal Sword Technique- knowing the damages it can achieve. The moment one strike hits, the continuous and countless strikes that come after it could not be blocked. The only way he was able to make it out alive was through his high qi levels.
“The divine and powerful Tidal Sword Technique in the City of Qing was completely broken by a 14-year-old little bastard. Unbelievable. Could it be that he is in touch with the legendary frontier?”
Ye Xiao Tian muttered to himself. He masked the unexplainable emotion he felt with his tiger like eyes.
…..
The other two clan leaders, upon hearing the news, had drastically different reactions.
The Qi Clan had a face of pity, he sighed after sighs, “Such a shame… A rare genius was born into the Ling Clan. Why can’t my Qi Clan have luck that good?”
The Fang Clan on the other hand, was in a frenzy of rage. He summoned his warriors and ordered a death penalty.
“I don’t care what method you use, you must acquire the secret to the Tidal Wave Technique from Ling Xian. After you force him to tell you the fatal flaw of the technique, kill him!”
At the end of the day, some reactions were good, some were bad, but the one thing in common was the amount of shock the entire City of Qing was in. The name Ling Xian has crept into the ears of all the great leaders in the city and has been imprinted into their brains.
The entire City of Qing, because of Ling Xian’s spontaneous actions, fell into a tide of astonishment.
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