Chapter Fifty Establishing Authority

He Jin hailed from the He clan of Mengshan, whose ancestors had once held the rank of marquis. However, by He Jin's generation, the clan had declined, and upon reaching adulthood, he merely inherited the title of Viscount of Mengshan County. Unwilling to accept mediocrity, He Jin joined the army, vowing to restore his ancestors' glory. At the age of thirty, he fortuitously advanced to the Profound Realm and, based on his cultivation, joined the Li family of Jinyang. After several twists and turns, he finally rose to the position of commander of the Pingwei Army.

He Jin knew something about Qin Mo. He was known as the "weakest Xuan Realm cultivator in history." This title was famous throughout the Great Xia Dynasty. He Jin himself had entered the Xuan Realm through battles with the orcs. In He Jin's mind, only a Xuan Realm cultivator like him, who had been honed on the battlefield, was a true Xuan Realm cultivator.

The "Breaking Technique" is powerful and domineering, and is beneficial for battlefield combat. Its cultivation method is also in line with the battlefield. Therefore, many cultivators who cultivate the "Breaking Technique" will hone their cultivation on the battlefield, hoping to obtain the opportunity to advance their realm.

There was a training ground in the Governor's Mansion of Wulan City, not far from the council hall. It was used by Li Zinian's family guards for training. Qin Mo and He Jin chose this place as the venue for their duel.

He Jin, holding a long spear and dressed in full leaf armor, waited quietly for Qin Mo. His attire drew many boos, since Qin Mo had arrived in formal attire, not armor, while he was in heavy armor – truly shameless.

"He Jin, how old are you this year? How can you be so shameless? This heavy armor of yours must weigh fifty pounds, right?" Qin Yumu, who had the most fiery temper, was the first to shout and curse.

"If you had any shame, you wouldn't be someone's lackey. Being a lackey is bad enough, but to be unable to distinguish between loyalty and treachery, tearing each other apart indiscriminately, I don't know how many bones you've gotten."

The person who said this was an unexpected individual: Qin Yu, the heir apparent of the Prince of Ji. He wasn't trying to help Qin Mo; rather, he loathed these newly risen nobles. The Prince of Heng's lineage clearly only had Qin Mo left, yet they were pushing him into the most dangerous situation. What were their intentions...? Did it even need an answer?

He Jin had a dark face and showed no sign of blushing. He simply stood there waiting for Qin Mo to prepare. "Me, wearing armor? Which of you top nobles doesn't have good armor? I've fought on the battlefield for over a decade, going through countless life-and-death situations. Have you got any shame? If I had any shame, I'd be a withered skeleton long ago."

Surprisingly, Qin Mo didn't ask anyone to bring him armor. He simply removed his golden crown, tied up his hair, and walked into the training ground, twin blades in hand. He named his twin blades "Phantom," but this name, which he considered very cultured, was met with great disdain from Allen.

Only epic-level weapons and armor deserve names; Qin Mo's twin blades are merely rare-level weapons. Yet they've given them names—does Qin Mo think he's the former Elven Emperor Achilles? Elven emperors liked to name the things they used, regardless of their rank, only based on their personal preference. But who was Achilles? No one dared to ridicule him. For Qin Mo to do the same is to invite ridicule.

Qin Mo didn't care about these messy rules. What he liked was the best, and he was even planning to name that old, broken axe! Qin Mo had seen plenty of messy things before. What's wrong with naming his favorite weapon? What's it to you?

As He Jin watched Qin Mo enter the training ground, he gripped his long sword tightly. This sword was nearly seven feet long and looked simple, much like the horse-slaying swords commonly used in the army. In fact, it was an extremely powerful and high-quality weapon, engraved with a very rare "blood loss" magic array.

This magic array allows the vital energy seeping into the weapon to vibrate rapidly, leaving a jagged, irregular wound after breaking through the enemy's skin, causing massive blood loss. If the vital energy is pure, and the array is activated to its maximum potential, it can even leave a trace of vital energy within the wound, hindering its healing. He Jin saw this weapon and greatly admired its hidden properties, but the He family of Mengshan was no longer wealthy. He gritted his teeth and spent half of his fortune on this long weapon.

"Now, Prince Heng's heir Qin Mo and Earl Meng Shan He Jin will engage in a martial arts duel, with no regard for life or death, witnessed by all. Both parties have signed a life-and-death contract, agreeing not to seek revenge regardless of the consequences..." An official from the Ulan City Governor's Office read out the life-and-death contract between the two men in public, and pulled everyone present in as witnesses.

Three drumbeats sounded, signaling the start of the duel. Li Zinian had deliberately arranged it so solemnly to make it seem like a friendly military exchange, not a life-or-death duel instigated by Qin Mo. This way, regardless of Qin Mo's death or injury, it wouldn't provoke a strong backlash from any side. High-ranking officials also couldn't stir up trouble because of a loss, since Allen was only at the Earth Realm, not a Realm expert, and hadn't reached the point where he could disregard all rules.

Before the drumbeats had even faded, He Jin charged headlong at Qin Mo with his sword drawn. Long blades and heavy armor were inherently advantageous in battle, relying on an unstoppable momentum. He Jin, having honed his skills on the northern battlefields for over a decade, had reached a high level of proficiency. His family lacked the ability to modify the "Breaking Technique," resulting in an exceptionally volatile and powerful inner energy. Combined with his long sword and heavy armor, this only amplified He Jin's imposing and domineering aura.

He Jin exerted force from his waist and back, and his body, strengthened by the earth's elemental energy, burst forth with powerful strength. The elemental energy emanated from the long blade, and the blade's light appeared and disappeared intermittently. The vast blade light swept across an area of ​​several feet, just like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves.

Qin Mo... is like that fallen leaf... After such a long period of training... his physique has finally... developed a little bit of muscle, but after putting on clothes, he still looks so thin.

Every time he strengthened his muscles even a little bit with his vital energy, that scoundrel Nie Yan would rush out and use his black light to further forge his muscles. His strength grew greater and greater, but his physique remained largely unchanged. Qin Mo cried out in his heart countless times, "At this rate, when will I ever become a muscle man?"

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