Chapter 223: Chapter 112: Registration for the National Competition Begins

“I was outmatched. I accept my defeat wholeheartedly!”

Seeing the situation, a thousand thoughts raced through Peng Yuanshan’s mind. ’Since they woke me up, it means they plan to handle this officially.’

If that was the case, his identity would be exposed sooner or later.

If that happened, it would draw the attention of his sect, and the fact he had been secretly practicing the Heavenly Demon Illusionary Sound Technique would surely come to light.

But at least his life wouldn’t be in danger.

“Peng Yuanshan, one of the ten Elders of the Holy Lotus Sect. You should know that the Martial Arts Association has an accord with Jianghu organizations like yours!”

Wang Zhanshan said coldly upon seeing him awake.

While Peng Yuanshan was unconscious, the Patrol Office had already sent over his file.

After all, he had previously participated in the pursuit of Nie Bin, so the Patrol Bureau had him on record.

Furthermore, he was one of his sect’s primary public liaisons, making him easy to look up.

This was unlike some Demon Sect disciples, who never revealed themselves to the public; no one even knew their Jianghu identities.

They could be anything from private-sector employees, lawyers, and doctors to KTV hostesses, street vendors, and civil servants. Their identities were wildly diverse, but the theme was consistent: ordinary grunts when all was quiet, titans of the Demon Dao when trouble arose!

After all, the choice of which martial arts to practice was entirely voluntary; the Court didn’t enforce any mandates.

As for the division between the righteous and demonic paths, one reason was that some Demon Skills were genuinely cruel and bloodthirsty—obviously not the kind of thing a good person would practice.

Second, most common Demon Skills were radical and offered rapid progress. Practitioners could often achieve in just two or three years what might take ten, or even dozens of years, with orthodox martial arts.

This led many people with inherently malicious natures to eagerly pursue these skills, disregarding the consequences. Once they mastered them, their minds would become unstable, leading them to act recklessly and without restraint.

However, Demonic Techniques and the Demon Sect were two entirely different concepts.

The Demon Sect had a long and storied history. Like many of the great sects in the Jianghu, it had weathered countless storms to survive to the present day.

The so-called Demon Sect was originally named the Holy Lotus Sect, a religious order that believed in reaching the “other shore” of the Holy Lotus and attaining rebirth in a land of ultimate bliss.

Historically, it had never been favored by the Court.

The “Demon Sect” moniker always followed it.

Later, when the new Court was established, the Holy Lotus Sect participated in many major events and contributed a great deal.

As a result, it became a top-tier Jianghu sect, officially recognized by the Court.

At first, no one called it the Demon Sect anymore. But later, many of its members took up these fast-track cultivation techniques and were also suspected of manipulating underworld forces.

This earned them the disfavor of the Righteous Sects, who once again began referring to it as the Demon Sect.

Over time, “Demon Sect” simply became another name for the Holy Lotus Sect.

However, the Holy Lotus Sect of today was completely different from its original incarnation, both in its doctrines and its organizational structure.

The two were, in essence, entirely different types of organizations.

“You…”

Peng Yuanshan was horrified!

’They’re going to cripple my martial arts?’

’That would be more agonizing than death.’

“Just a little precaution. Don’t be nervous.”

Zhao Rui gave a faint smile, revealing a flash of his pearly white teeth.

Peng Yuanshan’s heart was pounding like a drum, but he forced himself to remain calm. “The worst you can do is kill me. Just tell me what you want to ask, or what you need me to do.

“But if you expect me to betray the Holy Sect, that is something I will never do!”

“I couldn’t care less about your Holy Sect! I just want to know one thing: why were you looking for me?”

Zhao Rui said, his eyes narrowing.

He had his suspicions, but he wanted to hear it from the man himself.

Peng Yuanshan glanced at Wang Zhanshan, hesitating.

“Go ahead and talk. He’s my coach. I have no connection to you people from the Jianghu.”

At this, Peng Yuanshan spoke frankly:

“When you acted heroically that day, you overheard that person’s cultivation technique. I came to find out how much of it you remembered.”

“You wanted to learn it for yourself, didn’t you?”

“There’s no hiding it from you. But I did want to know how much you heard!”

“I definitely didn’t hear as much as you did. You were so close. I only caught a few fragments, nothing that made any sense.

“Besides, the Divine Skills of my Mingcan Courtyard are unparalleled. Why would I need to learn that little piece of trash you’re after?”

As Zhao Rui said this, he lifted his chin slightly and glanced at Wang Zhanshan.

A muscle in Wang Zhanshan’s cheek twitched.

’He was laying it on a bit thick. The courtyard certainly had Divine Skills, but ordinary members couldn’t learn them.’

’Only disciples or grand-disciples taken in by Elder Ge himself were qualified to learn a thing or two.’

’Everyone else was considered an Outer Sect member at best.’

But Peng Yuanshan, hearing Zhao Rui’s words, found them entirely believable. He had sensed several formidable types of martial arts coming from Zhao Rui.

That Ice Palm Force, in particular, had already reached a level of mastery that involved manipulating True Qi attributes. It was by no means an ordinary martial art.

“It seems I’ve been a frog in a well. I had forgotten the illustrious reputation of Mingcan Courtyard.”

Peng Yuanshan couldn’t help but sigh.

’I was truly reckless,’ he thought. ’Mingcan Courtyard has been quiet for decades, but that doesn’t mean its foundations have crumbled.’

’I was already being so careful.’

’My plan was to use a Spirit Soul Skill to subdue Zhao Rui, steal the Heart Method, and then slip away unnoticed.’

’I just never expected an ordinary university freshman to be this formidable.’

“See, Coach? It has nothing to do with me. I was just doing a good deed, and this was a completely unforeseen disaster.”

Zhao Rui said with a smile, looking at Wang Zhanshan.

Wang Zhanshan nodded. “In that case, we’ll handle this by the book. He’s not going anywhere, is he?”

“Not a chance! He’s no different from a normal person now.”

“Good.”

With that, Wang Zhanshan stood up and walked out.

Zhao Rui grinned at Peng Yuanshan. “Take care of yourself, old man. We’ll do everything by the book, you hear?”

With that, he also got up and followed him out.

Peng Yuanshan was stunned. As he mulled over what “rules” they were talking about, his pupils suddenly widened. He couldn’t help but curse, “A warrior can be killed, but not disgraced!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep