“Lord Huang, this isn’t ‘Mirage Dragon’. There are many brothers watching here! Please show some self-respect!”
At this moment, Li Lin suddenly spoke up.
His words immediately sent a wave of shock throughout the crowd, and even Zhao Fengchen was taken aback as well.
“Li Lin, how dare you speak to me like that!”
Huang Xiaotian glared at Li Lin frostily. He didn’t expect that a mere gate commander like Li Lin would dare to criticize him before so many people.
“Lord Huang, I’ll repeat myself. This isn’t Mirage Dragon, and if Lord Huang intends to cause trouble, I’ll have to ask you to leave!”
Facing Huang Xiaotian’s ferocious glare fearlessly, Li Lin repeated his words.
In the hall, the two commanders beside Zhao Fengchen stood up to persuade Li Lin to step down. Making an enemy out of Huang Xiaotian wasn’t a wise decision.
However, Zhao Fengchen shook his hand and stopped them.
Zhao Fengchen had yet to recover from his surprise, and he stared at Li Lin deeply. Many thoughts flashed through his head. He had investigated Li Lin’s background, and he could tell many things from it.
There was a fundamental flaw in Li Lin’s personality—cowardly. The fact that he had remained as a section commander in the North Gates for more than a decade spoke a lot.
Thus, Zhao Fengchen didn’t bear much expectations of Li Lin. He felt that promoting him to one of the lower tier commanders should be more than sufficient to repay the favor.
Yet, this ‘cowardly’ Li Lin actually dared to talk back to Huang Xiaotian before so many people. This was beyond his imagination.
Looking at Li Lin, Zhao Fengchen suddenly noticed some changes in him.
“Seems like he’s really different from before!”
Zhao Fengchen’s eyes rippled, and new thoughts about Li Lin abruptly sprouted in his head.
“How dare a small commander like you talk back to me!”
Huang Xiaotian’s eyes were cold as though the winter frost. If looks could kill, Li Lin would have died countless times then. Huang Xiaotian never held back against those who dared to offend him in his face.
However, Huang Xiaotian didn’t make a move in the end.
“Hmph! You’re just a trash who climbed to this seat because of a woman! I’ll let you off on Duke Jiu’s account!”
Pah! As though a flash of lightning, Huang Xiaotian’s hands swiftly darted toward the Death’s Abyss in Li Lin’s hands and grabbed it.
Boom! Before Li Lin could react, he was already jolted backward by a ma.s.sive force. He staggered many steps backward before he managed to steady himself. Li Lin’s face turned completely red.
Even within the Imperial Army, Li Lin could be considered as an expert. However, he was still far from matching up to those of Huang Xiaotian’s caliber.
Even though Huang Xiaotian lost to Zhao Fengchen eventually, he still became the number one expert beneath that of the three Great Marshals in the Imperial Army.
How could Li Lin possibly be a match for him!
“Brothers, I am not here to settle my private grudge. The reason why I am here is because I can’t tolerate these fellows deceiving the money of our brothers!”
With just a few simple movements, Huang Xiaotian stole the Death’s Abyss from Li Lin’s hand easily. Grabbing the hilt with his right hand, he slowly turned it around the hall.
A cold gleam shot across the air, causing the crowd to feel dizzy-headed. However, Huang Xiaotian glanced at the Death’s Abyss disdainfully, as though this wasn’t a precious sword but a worthless lump of metal.
“Huang Xiaotian, what do you intend to do?”
Zhao Fengchen uttered coldly.
“Hmph, haven’t I spoken of my intentions already? I can’t stand you all deceiving our brothers, so I came to expose you all!”
Huang Xiaotian turned around to look at Zhao Fengchen and sneered coldly. A grand disposition shrouded around him, capturing everyone’s attention.
“‘The tougher the weapon, the easier it breaks’, Zhao Fengchen and Li Lin, surely you two should know this logic! Any weapon that’s longer than three chi will break easily, and the even more so the longer it is. That’s the reason why very few swordsmiths craft swords longer than three chi. Even four chi is a rarity in the market! Yet, what’s with this seven chi weapon? Do you take everyone for fools?”
(3 chi -> 1m| 4 chi -> 1.33m| 7 chi -> 2.33m)
Huang Xiaotian bellowed loudly, and a huge commotion broke out in the hall.
Everyone here had come for the name of the Wootz steel. Given that Zhao Fengchen was here, and it hadn’t been long since the weapon was unveiled, none of them had truly considered this problem.
As soon as Huang Xiaotian brought up this problem, everyone came to a realization. Indeed! The tougher the weapon was, the easier it broke. Even though the crowd here didn’t know much about swordsmithing, this was common sense.
This was also the reason why no one forged weapons longer than four chi in the Central Plains, with the exception of spears, halberds, and those of that kind. However, this kind of weapons were mainly designed for the battlefield, and they weren’t really valuable. There were many of such weapons in the Great Tang’s military armory. If one broke, they could just grab another one.
However, swords and sabers were different. No one wanted to buy sword or saber that could break easily.
“Lord Huang’s words make sense.”
“Indeed, this saber is a little too long!”
…
The Imperial Army commanders nodded in agreement. Initially, they were displeased by Huang Xiaotian’s abrupt appearance, thinking that he was here to get back at Zhao Fengchen.
But at this moment, they suddenly felt that his words were logical.
“Hmph! Hmph!”
Raising Death’s Abyss high in the air so that everyone could get a good look, Huang Xiaotian observed the expression of the crowd and sneered coldly within.
On the other hand, Zhao Fengchen and Li Lin’s faces darkened.
As w.a.n.g Chong’s Wootz steel sword played a pivotal role in Zhao Fengchen defeating Huang Xiaotian and becoming the new marshal, he subconsciously trusted Li Lin and w.a.n.g Chong.
On the other hand, Li Lin fully trusted w.a.n.g Chong because the latter was his nephew
Thus, the both of them unknowingly neglected the fundamental flaw of a long saber. Upon hearing Huang Xiaotian’s words, they suddenly realized the problem with it as well.
A tough sword being brittle was common sense, Huang Xiaotian wasn’t being completely unreasonable.
“Li Lin…”
Zhao Fengchen’s first thought was to question Li Lin of it, but as soon as this thought appeared in his head, he immediately held himself back. It was too late to ask about it, especially before such a huge crowd.
Besides, if something was wrong with the sword, before such a huge crowd and under Huang Xiaotian’s interference, their reputation would immediately drop into the gutters.
——To dare to deceive so many of their brothers like that. They would lose their place in the entire Imperial Army!
As this thought appeared in their mind, the duo’s faces turned grave.
But at this moment, they had no path of retreat.
“Chong-er, you mustn’t screw up now!”
Li Lin’s heart was nearly beating out of his chest.
He didn’t have any time to plan how he could get the Death’s Abyss back from Huang Xiaotian. Standing in the center of the hall, he could feel the intentions behind the gazes around him slowly turning hostile.
The other party was his nephew. Even if Li Lin were to be done in, he couldn’t say a word at all.
“Brothers, sharpness isn’t all there is to a weapon. This weapon may look elegant on the surface, but the truth is that it is nothing more than a worthless lump of metal! Today, I’ll let you all see for yourselves what this Death’s Abyss they call truly is so that you all can judge whether it is worth spending your fortune on!”
As Huang Xiaotian spoke those words, he lifted the seven chi long Death’s Abyss with one hand, and gently bent the forefinger of the other hand. Then, swift as though a bolt of lightning, he flicked straight at the point at the third quarter from the hilt.
Hong long long!
The sound of wind and lightning raged, and a golden might brilliant as though a comet suddenly burst from Huang Xiaotian’s finger. Even though this might was forged using Origin Energy, it was as resilient as adamantine.
“Adamantine Storm Finger!”
This was one of the ultimate techniques Huang Xiaotian possessed. This technique concentrated all of one’s strength in a single finger, making it as powerful as the indestructible adamantine.
With just this single finger, Huang Xiaotian was able to rival armed opponents bare-handed in combat, regardless of what kind of powerful weapons they were wielding.
In fact, Huang Xiaotian had a record of breaking over a hundred top-notch blades.
Back then, when Huang Xiaotian’s was out on a mission, he saw a several zhang tall Xuanwu cliff while pa.s.sing by a towering mountain.
The entire cliff was actually an entire piece of Xuanwu rock embedded within the mountain.
Huang Xiaotian’s companion jokingly challenged him to leave behind words on the Xuanwu rock with his Adamantine Storm Finger. With a slight smile, Huang Xiaotian walked up to the cliff, and with just a mere flick, spiderweb-like cracks started appearing on the rock, and before long, the entire rock crumbled into innumerable fragments.
This incident became extremely famous among the Imperial Army. Even a few decades later, when people spoke of Huang Xiaotian, they would still bring up this incident.
Very few weapons could withstand Huang Xiaotian’s Adamantine Storm Finger. At the very least, it was unlikely that this seven chi long saber would survive his attack.
“Wait a moment!”
Zhao Fengchen hurriedly said in an attempt to stop him, but it was already too late. Hong long long, the sound of a storm filled the entire hall, and in that moment, it seemed as though countless lightning were streaking across the hall.
For an instant, time seemed to have stopped——
Hu!
A great wind hustled, and powerful air currents accompanied Huang Xiaotian’s finger as it flew straight toward the Death’s Abyss. As Huang Xiaotian’s finger approached the saber a cun by a cun, everyone’s heart slowly rose to their throat. The atmosphere was extremely tense.
Everyone knew that Huang Xiaotian’s finger was capable of smas.h.i.+ng even cliffs, so it couldn’t be gauged by normal standards. On top of that, this flick wielded his full strength!
No one knew whether the Death’s Abyss would be able to withstand this blow or not!
Hong long!
Finally, Huang Xiaotian’s finger struck the saber at the third quarter point of the blade. The hall shook violently, as though a formless comet had struck the palace. At the same time, the blade of the saber trembled furiously, and the sound of the ringing of the saber filled the entire hall.
However, in the next moment, everyone was dumbstruck.
Despite a full strength attack from Huang Xiaotian’s Adamantine Storm Finger, that seven chi Wootz steel saber was undamaged!
“How is this possible?!”
At that moment, no one was more shocked by Huang Xiaotian.
The Adamantine Storm Finger possessed incomparable strength, and with this technique, he had broken countless powerful weapons. There were barely any weapons that could withstand its might.
Furthermore, this saber was seven chi long, making it exceptionally p.r.o.ne to breaking. As long as he struck this weapon at its third quarter point, it should have broken into countless fragments.
It should have been impossible for a weapon that had a length of seven chi and could survive this attack to exist!
“Impossible!”
Swiftly and forcefully, Huang Xiaotian flicked his finger at it once more.
Hong long long!
The ground trembled, but the seven chi long Death’s Abyss in Huang Xiaotian’s hand still remained completely undamaged! In that instant, Huang Xiaotian’s face paled.
Just as Huang Xiaotian pulled back his finger to prepare for a third flick, Zhao Fengchen finally came to the limits of his tolerance.
“Huang Xiaotian, you better stop it right now!”
Zhao Fengchen bellowed.
“If you don’t stop now, don’t blame me for getting nasty!”
With his right hand on the Wootz steel sword by his left waist, Zhao Fengchen brought out the disposition of a marshal and glared at Huang Xiaotian authoritatively. Just like what Li Lin had said, this wasn’t Mirage Dragon, Huang Xiaotian’s territory. If the other party was going to continue acting so audaciously, then he shouldn’t blame him for getting nasty.
“Hahaha, Vice Marshal Huang, I knew it. You’re here to wreak havoc! You’re trying to use this matter to get back at us!”
Li Lin burst into laughter, but on the inside, he heaved a huge sigh of relief. The matter just now had nearly frightened him out of his wits. If it were to break under Huang Xiaotian’s attack, then he could quit the Imperial Army at this very instant.
Even Zhao Fengchen would never forgive him!
“Chong-er, well done!”
At this moment, Li Lin felt so exhilarated that he couldn’t help but laugh heartily. His nephew had truly made him proud this time.
Li Lin was sure that after this matter with Huang Xiaotian, his standing in the Imperial Army would surely rise exponentially.
At the same time, the Wootz steel weapon would also become even more famous!
The Imperial Army commanders who would knock on the doors on the w.a.n.g Clan to plead for swords would be much greater and much more formidable than before!
He could already see the bright future before him!