Inside the courtyard of the Jiangjing Bieyuan, Lu Fan, feeling a bit tired, returned to his room. Tomorrow there would be a great battle on Qinglong Mountain. Although Lu Fan was not particularly concerned, the Golden Light Hall Master was, after all, a master of martial arts, and Lu Fan would not be overly careless.
Meanwhile, at the Golden Light Martial Hall, many disciples had red cloths tied around their heads, looking eager for battle. In all the years past, no one had dared to challenge the Golden Light Hall Master. Now that such a battle was upon them, they naturally had to go and cheer him on.
"I wonder how Master is doing now," a disciple spoke. "The battle is tomorrow, and I don't know if Master can win."
"Master has never lost," a man stated directly. "Master will surely be the victor in tomorrow's fight!"
"I'm afraid not. The aura of that person that day was like a rainbow. He is no ordinary person!"
"Indeed, that person possesses the means of a Grandmaster. Although Master is close to Grandmaster, he will eventually reach that level!"
The crowd immediately frowned. If this were truly the case, it would indeed cause them some worry.
"Why aren't you all resting? What are you all doing here!" the Golden Light Hall Master arrived, looking radiant.
"Master, we are worried about you!" a disciple said directly. "Tomorrow is the battle on Qinglong Mountain, and that person is very strong. I'm afraid..."
"Although he possesses the means of a Grandmaster, he has not necessarily reached Grandmaster."
The Golden Light Hall Master said coldly, "For him to want to oppose Master, it's simply overestimating himself!"
As he spoke, many disciples looked at the Golden Light Hall Master in surprise. "Master, your aura seems to have become much stronger!"
"I have successfully entered the Grandmaster realm!" the Golden Light Hall Master sneered. "At the last moment, I broke through to the Grandmaster realm. Perhaps this is a chance from heaven!"
"Already broken through to Grandmaster?"
The many disciples showed joy. They had never imagined that the Golden Light Hall Master would break through on the last day. If this news were to spread, it would likely shake the entire Chu Prefecture.
"This matter should not be publicized!" the Golden Light Hall Master said coldly. "If we can achieve surprise, the effect might be even better!"
The many disciples nodded in unison, their hearts filled with joy. With the Hall Master breaking through to Grandmaster, tomorrow's battle would surely be a sure victory, and they would no longer need to worry about it.
"Fellow disciples, let's disperse," a man spoke. "We will go to Qinglong Mountain tomorrow to cheer for Master!"
The many disciples nodded in agreement, their fighting spirit further ignited. With the Hall Master's breakthrough to Grandmaster, they felt as if they had a reassuring pill.
It was not until late at night that the lights in the Golden Light Martial Hall were extinguished. This night would leave many martial artists sleepless, as they were well aware of what tomorrow's battle would signify.
Meanwhile, at the Jiangjing Bieyuan, Lu Fan and the others had already fallen asleep. A figure in black sneaked into the courtyard, his movements appearing strange as he surveyed his surroundings, a long sword in his hand.
Lu Fan opened his eyes and looked outside, his brow furrowing slightly, clearly sensing a killing intent.
The black-clothed figure scanned the area and then locked onto Lu Fan's room. Just as he was about to enter, Lu Fan's figure appeared behind him. "Martial Arts accomplished? Is this all the strength you have?"
Thirteen Swords was startled and quickly turned to look at Lu Fan. "You little brat have guts. Someone paid ten million to buy your head. Don't blame me!"
"Who is that person?" Lu Fan asked in surprise. "My head is only worth this much?"
"Big talk!"
Thirteen Swords said coldly, and his long sword swung out fiercely, charging towards Lu Fan. He was a famous assassin and had never failed, otherwise, the price wouldn't have been so high.
Unfortunately, this time he had encountered a tough opponent. A powerful force approached Lu Fan, only to be shattered by the internal energy surrounding Lu Fan, and even his long sword turned into nothingness.
"This..."
Thirteen Swords trembled violently. "How is this possible? Internal energy projected outwards, a Martial Grandmaster."
"As an assassin, not even knowing the specific details of the target you are about to attack, you are incompetent," Lu Fan said dismissively. "Today, you are unlikely to escape!"
Thirteen Swords' pupils widened. His only thought was to escape from this devil before him.
The strength Lu Fan displayed was completely beyond his imagination. Such a terrifying existence was also not something he could handle.
"It's not so easy to leave!" Lu Fan sneered, his figure vanishing from his spot in the blink of an eye.
Thirteen Swords, as expected of an assassin, possessed a secret method specifically for escaping. In an instant, he reached the forest. After looking back for a while, he breathed a sigh of relief. "I thought Grandmasters were that great! Turns out they are nothing special!"
"Do you really think so?" Lu Fan stood on a large tree with his arms crossed. "I've been waiting for you here for a long time. In front of a Grandmaster, you have no chance of escape!"
Thirteen Swords' face turned ashen, and finally, he knelt down in resignation. "I was just trying to make a living. I never expected to offend a Grandmaster. Please be merciful and spare my life!"
"Who is the mastermind?" Lu Fan asked dismissively. "If you don't tell me, I will take your life now!"
"It's the Yang family of Chu Prefecture. Yang Haibo told me to do this," Thirteen Swords said repeatedly. "I have no enmity with you, Senior, why would I easily attack you!"
"Yang Haibo?" Lu Fan narrowed his eyes. "I didn't go looking for him, but he came looking for me. After I finish dealing with the matters at hand, his good days will be over!"
"Don't worry, Senior. I don't need Senior to act. I can help Senior resolve him personally!" Thirteen Swords cupped his fists. "I only beg Senior to spare my life!"
"Your hands are stained with blood. Assassins like you should not exist in this world," Lu Fan said with a cold smile.
Thirteen Swords trembled violently and quickly stood up, intending to flee directly. However, in the face of Lu Fan's powerful strength, he was like a lamb waiting to be slaughtered. In the blink of an eye, he transformed into a mist of blood.
Facing all this, Lu Fan remained indifferent, his expression even more placid.
Returning to the Jiangjing Bieyuan, Lu Fan's brow furrowed, and he looked into the darkness. "One just left, and is another one coming?"
As soon as the words fell, Lu Fan's aura surged, and he stepped towards the darkness. An old man was dragged out by Lu Fan. Feeling Lu Fan's powerful aura, the old man was startled and wanted to attack, but it was too late.
"Are you all in league?" Lu Fan asked coldly.
"Please don't misunderstand, Sir. I came looking for the young master," the old man said repeatedly. "I have no enmity with you, Sir!"
"Young Master?" Lu Fan asked with a hint of surprise.
Just then, Gu Wen walked out of the courtyard. Seeing the scene before him, he looked a little confused. "Master, did someone from my clan offend you? Why are you..."
"So it's someone from the Gu family!" Lu Fan smiled awkwardly. "It seems I misunderstood!"
The old man also breathed a sigh of relief. Lu Fan's aura had been incredibly strong just moments ago, and he had an intuition that if Lu Fan willed it, he would have no power to resist.