Chapter 216: Killing Two Birds with One Stone

After chatting with Ren Qingsong for a while, Lin Dong left the Military Assessment Institute and rushed back to the inn. Upon arriving in Qiufeng City, he didn’t stop right away. Bringing Ren Qingsong’s documents and martial artist card, he headed back to the Military Assessment Institute there.
Compared to the one in Xilan City, the one in Qiufeng City was not only much larger but also had a vastly larger flow of people. As soon as he stepped inside, he saw people coming and going. There were three people at the registration counter in the main hall, yet there was still a long queue. Finding a shorter queue, Lin Dong waited quietly, stepping forward every time someone left.
“Is it you?”
While recalling the rules and techniques of table tennis, a surprised voice made Lin Dong look up instinctively. When he saw someone coming from the front on his left, he was stunned.
Liu Nanhuai!
Lin Dong smiled. Originally, he had planned to go to Qingmei Mountain and ask Liu Lixiong to intercede, hoping to obtain a spiritual tree from the Liu family. Now, he suddenly thought of an easier method.
Compared to wealthy elites, local officials had far less influence over the major families. After all, these families usually had their own martial artists. With a martial artist card, they could intimidate local officials with various privileges.
On the other hand, the Military Assessment Institute, which held no such influence over the wealthy elites, was something the major families dared not offend lightly. Even if they managed to catch some evidence, submitting it to the Tianwei Pavilion could cause severe losses to the family—provided, of course, that the family didn’t have martial artists loyal to the court.
Generally, family martial artists rarely chose to serve the court. The main reason was that those who served the court were often sent to hunt down members of other sects. And the sect members targeted by the Han Empire were usually extremely dangerous. If they managed to escape or even learned the identity of their pursuers, it could bring disaster to the entire family. Though this possibility wasn’t high, it wasn’t zero either. Compared to that, it wasn’t worth taking such a big risk just to avoid the Military Assessment Institute’s oversight and martial artist support.
As the head of the Military Assessment Institute in Qiufeng City, Wan Cuilin might only visit once every few months, but given his status, the Liu family naturally wouldn’t dare offend him. If Wan Cuilin asked the Liu family on his behalf to obtain a spiritual tree for planting, and if they were willing to give a few more Wanhong Fruits, then first, the possibility of this secret weapon leaking out would be minimal, and second, the Liu family would surely not refuse to get seventh-grade spiritual fruits.

Half a day is enough to travel back and forth to Wanjiazhuang, and one can also find someone to deliver messages. On the other hand, going to Qingmei Mountain to find Liu Lixiong not only takes over ten days but also poses risks if sent by someone else; one must go in person. Clearly, the former is simpler and more convenient.

After thinking this through, Lin Dong bowed to Liu Nanhuai and said, “So it’s Young Master Liu, here for the annual assessment at the Martial Arts Testing Institute?”

Liu Nanhuai smirked coldly. As he walked up to Lin Dong, he kept moving, raised his arm, and hooked his index finger—making it clear that Lin Dong should follow him.

Lin Dong pretended not to notice. He actually wanted to follow and see the power of the Air Control realm, but there were already many people in line. After finishing, they would have to line up again, wasting time. If he couldn’t find a suitable person to practice the Air Control realm, he could always ask Yun Lan—worst case, he’d just be a bit frustrated from not being able to touch her clothes.

Liu Nanhuai walked all the way out of the hall. Only when he looked back did he realize Lin Dong hadn’t followed. Filled with anger, he hesitated for a moment before turning back to Lin Dong. Once Lin Dong’s gaze shifted over, Liu Nanhuai tilted his head slightly outward.

One person ahead had already left, so Lin Dong stepped forward two steps.

Liu Nanhuai glared at Lin Dong fiercely and couldn’t help but follow two steps as well, growling, “Didn’t you hear me call you out?”

“So Young Master Liu communicates using his fingers and head…” Lin Dong tutted. “Impressive skill.”

Liu Nanhuai gritted his teeth and snapped, “Did you hear me?”

“I heard you, but I’m not interested,” Lin Dong replied bluntly.

Seeing that many people were looking over, Liu Nanhuai became furious. After taking a few deep breaths, he still strode toward the gate of the institute.

Causing trouble inside the Martial Arts Testing Institute would be detrimental to the Liu family.

Finally, it was Lin Dong’s turn at the counter. He took out his Warrior Card and documents and handed them to the young man responsible for registration.

“Set up a spiritual array.”

“Please wait a moment.”

Given Lin Dong’s high status as a warrior, although the young man was just a clerk at the institute, he dared not neglect him. He immediately took the documents and Warrior Card and ran into the back yard.

After not long, the young man returned. On Lin Dong’s Warrior Card, there was now a strange pattern carved with a carving tool. Upon closer inspection, some silver-white spiritual stone powder could be seen in the gaps of the pattern.

Although the prefecture-level Military Assessment Institute had spirit array masters, they were only low-level ones, while the spirit arrays on the warriors’ cards belonged to the first tier. The only function of these spirit arrays was to cause abnormalities in all the spirit arrays on warriors’ cards within a hundred miles once activated by the institute. In times of crisis for the Great Han Nation, this could be used to immediately summon all warriors across the country.

Taking back his warrior card, Lin Dong stepped out of the team. As he stepped through the gate, he was slightly surprised to see Liu Nanhuai standing on the street across from him.

This guy really has a lot of patience, waiting outside just to test his air control skills. With that thought, Lin Dong immediately understood why Liu Nanhuai was waiting outside the Military Assessment Institute—undoubtedly out of concern about being blamed for causing trouble there.

If he could lure Liu Nanhuai into a fight inside the institute, it would give Wan Cuilin an excuse to go to the Liu family to trade for spirit trees, and the chances of success would also increase greatly.

Lin Dong stepped forward with a smile and said, “Young Master Liu, regarding what happened two days ago, I was acting on someone else’s request and only took a few spirit stones. You’re not waiting for me because of that, are you?”

“I didn’t expect that just as I reached the Mind State, you’d come to me on your own,” Liu Nanhuai snorted coldly, staring intently at Lin Dong. Seeing Lin Dong come out, he wanted to draw his sword and attack right away, but he preferred to be cautious—after all, he was there to register for an advancement test, and it was possible Lin Dong was there for the same reason.

Lin Dong’s expression changed slightly as he stepped back a bit, then quickly regained his composure and said disdainfully, “So what if I’m in the Mind State? Young Master Liu, you don’t think I came to the Military Assessment Institute for the annual test, do you?”

Liu Nanhuai was overjoyed. He had had doubts before, but seeing Lin Dong’s seemingly calm demeanor, he was now certain that he indeed came for the annual test.

Not wanting to waste any time, Liu Nanhuai flipped his palm, and the long sword in his storage spirit ring appeared in his hand instantly. Then, he thrust it rapidly at Lin Dong’s throat.

“Kid, it’s best if you tell me if you have any official status. Otherwise, warriors are exempt from punishment for killing—today will be the day you die.”

Lin Dong remained silent and kept stepping back at almost the same speed as Liu Nanhuai, heading toward the entrance of the institute.

As Lin Dong was about to retreat inside, Liu Nanhuai became panicked. He pushed the hilt of his sword repeatedly, causing thin membranes to shoot out one after another in an attempt to stop Lin Dong before he entered.

As Lin Dong retreated frantically, he suddenly bent his legs and flipped backward. After dodging a few membranes, he grabbed the door frame with both hands, swung backward, and jumped inside the institute.

Liu Nanhuai, in a rush, tried to stop, but saw that the membranes following him were continuously forming into human-shaped protrusions.

The opportunity was right before him. Without hesitation, Liu Nanhuai thrust his sword straight at Lin Dong’s head. Behind the membrane, no matter what Liu Nanhuai thought, he probably never expected that at this moment Lin Dong had his eyes slightly closed, allowing the membrane to cover him layer by layer. His mental focus continued to intensify before gradually spreading outward, and the trajectory of Liu Nanhuai’s sword appeared in Lin Dong’s mind. When the distance was less than half a meter, Lin Dong tilted his body slightly, widening the gap in the membrane just enough to avoid the sword tip. Liu Nanhuai was shocked; his wrist trembled as he tried to stop the sword and swing it sideways. Suddenly, Lin Dong kicked hard at his leg. With a thud, Liu Nanhuai cried out in pain and staggered back. Lin Dong spread his arms, using his Air Control ability to lift the stack of membranes covering his body and pushed them toward Liu Nanhuai. Bang! The stack of membranes covered Liu Nanhuai’s head. By the time he frantically swung his sword to cut through them, Lin Dong had already closed in and kicked him hard in the direction of the main hall. The fight between the two immediately caught the attention of the martial artists who had come to register at the martial arts testing institute. Lin Dong pressed forward, snarling, “Young Master Liu, since you dared to attack me here at the martial arts testing institute, don’t blame me for not being gentle with you.” Liu Nanhuai was furious and about to retort when Lin Dong leaped high and kicked at him. With no choice, Liu Nanhuai swung his right arm, slashing at Lin Dong’s right leg. With his right palm, he gently grasped at Liu Nanhuai’s sword. Spiritual energy from his dantian flowed rapidly along the path of Air Control before surging into his palm. Liu Nanhuai was shocked to find that his sword seemed to resist his control, drifting to the side. Bang! While Liu Nanhuai was still trying to control his sword, Lin Dong’s right foot had already struck his chest, sending him flying. Amidst screams, Lin Dong chased after him. Before Liu Nanhuai could recover, he grabbed his head and smashed it against the smooth, polished stone surface caused by the constant movement of people. With a muffled sound, Liu Nanhuai lost consciousness, blood streaming from the back of his head. Lin Dong clapped his hands in satisfaction—having not only created an excuse for Wan Cuilin but also gained valuable insights into Air Control. Compared to controlling stationary objects like the membranes earlier, which required minimal spiritual energy, controlling an enemy’s weapon, as seen when he made Liu Nanhuai’s sword deviate, demanded hundreds or even thousands of times more spiritual energy. The reason was undoubtedly that Liu Nanhuai’s resistance had greatly drained the power of Air Control.

This meant that when fighting an enemy, unless the enemy was extremely weak, one could only use the Air Control realm at will. Against an equally strong opponent, one could only slightly dodge the enemy’s weapons; to fully take control of them required a decisive strike. If that wasn’t possible, one’s spiritual energy would be greatly depleted, often resulting in more loss than gain.
Glancing at Liu Nanhuai on the ground, Lin Dong turned and left.
Putting Liu Nanhuai behind him, he returned to the inn. During dinner, he asked Yun Lan and then learned that the spiritual tree, considered a secret weapon by the Liu family, was called the White Spiritual Tree and belonged to the third-tier spiritual materials.
By the time the inn closed and Ma Chun came to knock on the back door, Lin Dong had not only written the letter to Wan Cuilin but also copied down the rules and techniques of table tennis that he remembered…