Volume 1: The True Dragon of Purple Void – Chapter 22: Fighting the World

Half a month later, Wutai Mountain in Shanxi…
Wutai Mountain is located within Wutai County and is surrounded by five peaks: East Peak, West Peak, South Peak, North Peak, and Central Peak. The summits of these five peaks all resemble platforms, hence the name Wutai Mountain. The North Peak is the highest, with an elevation of 3,058 meters, and is known as the “Ridge of North China.” The climate here is unique—thawing in April, covered in snow in September, and cool even in midsummer, which is why it is also called “Cool Mountain,” making it an excellent place for escaping the heat. The Dabai Pagoda in Tayuan Temple of Wutai Mountain is a symbol of the mountain. The largest temple is Xiantong Temple, with over 400 buildings, including three exquisitely crafted bronze halls and two beautifully designed bronze pagodas. Fine architecture, delicate carvings, lifelike statues, and colorful paintings can be found in every temple.

Disguised as tourists, the radical scholar and Tianyu chatted as they walked:
“Third Master, this Wutai Mountain is also part of the Buddhist tradition, a sacred Buddhist site. I came here with Second Master last time, but didn’t visit it. Master, you’re not planning to come here to compete again, are you? Are Wutai Mountain and Master’s Shaolin Temple also not on good terms?”
“Not at all. The reason I’ve taken you to challenge Taoist and Buddhist temples is so that you can further improve your martial arts skills within the same tradition, absorbing their essence. It’s like a mirror—nothing better than this to reveal your strengths and weaknesses…”
“Third Master, I learn from you!”
“Ah, it’s a pity. Your Master comes from Shaolin. Otherwise, we could have gone straight there. But Wutai Mountain is also a place full of hidden talents—not much different!”
“However, Third Master, from what I’ve seen along the way, those monks and novices seem impatient and don’t seem to have any martial arts skills at all.”
“Hehe, of course there are none here. Aren’t we here to act as bait? We’ll create some disturbance tonight, hehe…”

Late at night, the magnificent bell tower in front of the temple rang loudly as the ten-thousand-jin bronze bell was struck with a mere finger’s strength, its sound spreading for miles…

…

A month later, another night, on a highway, two luxury convertible sports cars sped by at high speed.
Each car had four people, including the driver, and they were shouting and laughing merrily along the way…
In the first car, the two people in the back seat were having a lively conversation. One of them said to the driver, “Brother, why do we need to bring the Ice Group involved for such a small matter? If it’s us from the Blade Group handling it, won’t it be easy to take care of?”

Another man with a rough voice joined in, saying, “That’s right, that’s right. Isn’t it just about capturing a gang boss? Even if he has some armed bodyguards, there’s no need to make such a big deal out of it. I really don’t know what Boss Jiang is thinking. Besides, when we were ‘doing our job,’ didn’t any of Hanbing’s men show up either?”
The man sitting in the front seat snorted lightly upon hearing this. He appeared to be in his early twenties, with long silver hair fluttering in the wind. Although he was sitting in the car, his muscular build was unmistakable. His cold, fair face and slender hands occasionally flashed with a faint glint, as if he was playing with something.
Hearing the snort, the man who had spoken first in the back seat became restless and immediately interjected, “Wuhen, why are you snorting? Did I say something wrong?”
Wuhen in the front seat continued to fiddle with the glinting object in his hand, without turning his head, and simply spat out two words: “Boring!”
“Wuhen, stop acting cool. Don’t think just because you’re good-looking you can call yourself the second-in-command of our Blade Squad.”
“That’s right, Wuhen. It’s one thing if you act arrogantly behind Big Brother’s back, but the worst part is that you always act cool and serious in front of pretty girls, stealing the spotlight and leaving me and Xue Dao in the dust.”
“Yeah, acting cool is one thing, but the worst part is that whenever we’re with you, those girls call us ‘Hey, hey, sidekicks…’ Thinking of how charming Xue Dao used to be, to end up like this—it’s unbearable!”
“Exactly! You deliberately dyed your hair white to draw attention, claiming it’s because of practicing martial arts going astray. Such hypocrisy…” The two men in the back seat echoed each other, targeting Wuhen.
Perhaps accustomed to these two clowns’ provocations, Wuhen paid them no attention at all. He tilted his head out of the car window and once again spat out two words: “Idiots!”
Wuhen’s attitude, coupled with those two words, completely enraged the two men in the back seat. They immediately stood up in the car, rolling up their sleeves, ready to fight…
At that moment, a beam of moonlight shone through, revealing the faces of the two men in the back seat. One was thin and sharp-faced, with a cold glint in his eyes—clearly a capable person. The other was the opposite: tall and burly, with a lion-like nose and mouth, and a short scar between his brows, giving him a rough and wild appearance.
“Alright, stop making a fuss. Sit back down!” The man who had been driving, known as Big Brother, spoke up. Seeing that it was Big Brother who had ordered them to stop, the two men reluctantly sat back down.

“Wuhen says you two are idiots, and it’s not unfair. Do you really think the Sixth Department of our agency has plenty of people? Or is Boss Jiang just sending an extra team to watch the fun? If it weren’t for Hanbing and the others holding off those cultivators hired by that underworld boss, how could we have taken down his private army so easily? You two are truly idiotic!” the older brother continued.
The two men, spoken to by the older brother, immediately lost their earlier arrogance, lowering their heads with looks of resentment.
Suddenly, the brother driving the car applied a sharp brake, and Wuhen beside him seemed to sense something as well—his white hair moved as if in a breeze, and a cold glint appeared in his hand, ready to act at any moment…
Under the night sky, two figures indeed appeared far ahead of the two sports cars. By the light of the moon, one was middle-aged and the other a youth, both radiating intense energy.
“Tianyu, these are the people from the Sixth Department of your grandfather’s National Security Bureau. They’re also known as the Superpower Sixth Department. They’re your grandfather’s favorites. Be careful when you fight them later. This is your first time facing these superpowered individuals—their abilities are different from ours as cultivators; they’re all sorts of strange, so you need to be extra cautious…”
“Mm, Master. Tianyu has remembered!”
…
A month later, two remarkable guests arrived at the headquarters of the Xianmeng in a certain city, declaring a challenge to the Xianmeng. After one of them defeated eleven Xianmeng guardians in a row, they finally met the Xianmeng leader, Qiao Lingnan…
…
Months later, at the Xiangxi Hongmen, the challengers fought against the current leader, Hong Quan, using their Tongbi boxing style. It was said that for days afterward, the leader’s hands still trembled…
…
Two years later, a name became widely known in the cultivation community—“The Mad Fighter”! It was said that every hundred years, a “Mad Fighter” appears in the martial world. There are always two of them, with one challenging the other. Yet no one has ever seen their true faces, nor does anyone know their origins. All that’s known is that they constantly challenge various sects to improve their martial skills, but they never harm anyone’s life. Some say they merely engage in pure martial sparring, while others claim they’re plotting some astonishing conspiracy. Opinions vary, and no conclusion has been reached.
However, in the archives of the Sixth Department of the National Security Bureau, it is recorded:

On a certain day in a certain month, the “Fierce Warrior” challenged Yu Ji, the master of Tiandao Temple. Over ten days, he made three attempts, losing twice. In the first attempt, he lost at move 127, returning with his sword broken. In the second attempt, he lost at move 297, falling short in a duel of sword auras, and returning once again defeated. Finally, in his third attempt, he managed to tie Yu Ji with his finger strength, likely using the Shaolin martial art technique known as the Golden Fist…
On another day, the “Fierce Warrior” challenged Master Fami of Wutai Mountain. After four attempts, he finally succeeded in the last attempt by cutting through the master’s sleeve with his sword aura, breaking through his “Universe within the Sleeve” technique, likely using a move from the Qingcheng Sword Art called “Divine Dragon Emerging from the Abyss”…
On yet another day, the “Fierce Warrior” challenged the teams of Sharp Blades and Ice, defeating them effortlessly within twenty minutes…
On yet another day, the “Fierce Warrior” challenged…
…