"Not good!" Li Zheng, seeing Zhao Yun charging at him with a cold expression, wasted no time in pulling out a talisman—an item given to him by his elder cousin for protection. Before Zhao Yun's silver-blue sword energy could reach him, the talisman activated, and Li Zheng's form split into dozens of shadows, scattering in all directions at an incredible speed.
"A secret technique?" Zhao Yun hesitated for a moment, then his eyes flashed with anger. He grasped his Dragon Gallant Spear firmly, closed his eyes, and relied on his instincts. In one swift motion, he thrust his spear towards one of the fleeing shadows. As he withdrew his spear, droplets of blood dripped from the tip.
"Ugh!" Li Zheng, who was flying through the air at the speed of an internal energy master, suddenly found himself pierced through the chest by Zhao Yun's spear.
"Trash. I've mastered at least twenty of these kinds of techniques," Zhao Yun scoffed, sheathing his spear and drawing his sword to cut down the surrounding Cao soldiers like grass. Since entering Xu Province, Zhao Yun hadn't seen the Cao soldiers as anything more than scum.
Meanwhile, in the Shanyang County of Yanzhou, Li Jin was sipping tea and reading scripture with an air of tranquility. As he reached for the porcelain teapot, a sudden cracking sound rang out—his jade bracelet split, forming a visible crack before breaking into two pieces and shattering on the ground.
Li Jin stared at the scene in stunned silence, then picked up the broken pieces and began calculating silently.
"Endfang, sigh..." Li Jin muttered, shaking his head. He looked towards the east, then turned his gaze southeast. "Xu Province, huh? Such bloodshed... Cao Mengde truly has a ruthless heart."
"Bring Mancheng here," Li Jin instructed his maidservant as he left his room. A gust of cold wind blew in, causing the delicate, paper-like scroll on his desk to flip its pages before it finally closed. The cover bore four ancient seal characters.
Not long after, Li Dian, following the maidservant, arrived before Li Jin and bowed. "Greetings, elder cousin. What guidance do you have for me? Not long ago, I felt a deep unease. I seek your wisdom."
"Your brother died in Xu Province. It must have been Liu Xuande who sent troops," Li Jin said calmly.
Instantly, Li Dian's eyes filled with tears. "May I ask, cousin, who was the one that killed my brother?"
"The army came from the north, undefeated and swift. It should be the White Horse Cavalry, led by Zhao Zilong," Li Jin sighed. Although he couldn't predict everything with certainty, the available information allowed him to make an accurate deduction.
"Thank you, elder cousin!" Li Dian bowed deeply to Li Jin.
"You're no match for him. Due to certain reasons, I can't take action, and even if I were to face him on the battlefield, I'm afraid I wouldn't stand a chance. Starting today, Mancheng, I will personally teach you," Li Jin said, seeing the determination in Li Dian's eyes and understanding his intent.
"Thank you, elder cousin," Li Dian expressed his gratitude.
Li Jin sighed deeply. Although he wanted to help, he knew that without resorting to forbidden techniques, he wouldn't be able to kill Zhao Zilong. Master Tong Yuan had injected a stream of inner energy into each of his three disciples when they left the mountain.
Except for Zhang Ren, who couldn't break through to the next level, forcing Tong Yuan to use a special technique to elevate him from the peak of Qi Refinement to the Internal Energy Stage, the other two were directly enhanced from entry-level Internal Energy to two-colored Internal Energy experts. Zhao Yun, as Tong Yuan's final disciple, had mastered countless secret techniques and survival methods, no fewer than eighty or a hundred. The title of "Spear God" wasn't just an exaggeration.
If Zhao Yun were an evil-doer, Li Jin might have considered using forbidden techniques to eliminate him. But given that Zhao Yun's actions aligned with justice, any attempt to kill him using underhanded methods would surely result in Tong Yuan seeking retribution—a confrontation that Li Jin wanted to avoid. In this era, disciples were treated like sons, and killing a beloved disciple unjustly would provoke a fierce response from their master.
Li Jin knew that Zhao Yun's lineage was strong, with Tong Yuan being a respected master with many connections. Attempting to kill Zhao Yun would bring not only Tong Yuan but also his brothers and friends into the fray. Even the most skilled martial artists of the time would struggle to face off against Tong Yuan, his brother Han Qiong, and their friend Wang Yue simultaneously.
Li Jin didn't know all the details about Tong Yuan, but he knew enough to understand that Zhao Yun was well-protected. Tong Yuan was known for creating Internal Energy experts, having already produced one ordinary Internal Energy warrior and two top-tier experts.
This made Tong Yuan a figure of concern even among the mystical "Immortals" of the time. After creating Zhang Xiu, a two-colored Internal Energy warrior, one curious Immortal couldn't resist testing him, only to end up skewered by Tong Yuan's spear.
Although two-colored Internal Energy wasn't inherently superior to single-colored, it still indicated a high level of mastery in one attribute, making it difficult for most single-colored experts to challenge.
After killing that Immortal, Tong Yuan went on to train Zhao Yun, another two-colored expert. Fortunately, Tong Yuan seemed to understand that he couldn't continue this path indefinitely. He declared Zhao Yun his last disciple and retreated to the mountains to focus on refining his spear techniques.
With the mountain sealed, Li Jin could only find alternative methods. His plan was to train Li Dian to become a well-rounded expert, capable of eventually defeating Zhao Yun on the battlefield, where such a death would be seen as honorable and justifiable. As for Zhao Yun's numerous secret techniques, those were merely tricks in the grand scheme of things.
Li Jin's lack of knowledge about Tong Yuan's current condition spared Zhao Yun much trouble. After using a significant portion of his inner energy to enhance his disciples, Tong Yuan had retreated to recover. Although he practiced a unique water-based energy technique, allowing him to replenish his energy endlessly, Zhao Yun's exceptional talent had pushed Tong Yuan to his limits, leaving him temporarily weakened.
This was why Tong Yuan had secluded himself. His estimation of Zhao Yun's potential had been off the charts, causing him to nearly exhaust himself during the process of elevating Zhao Yun's abilities. Now, Tong Yuan needed time to recover fully.