Why do I have so many masters?

An urgent message, blood-red.

This term originally pertained to emergency military dispatches relayed by a Middle Third Rank martial artist leaping into the air and speeding along using all their movement techniques at full throttle.

Every three thousand li, a relay would commence. The sects at each county city gate could not obstruct it. With an imperial gold plaque indicating "Obstructors shall die, dissenters shall perish."

Now that the world is at peace, such an extreme method of communication is no longer necessary.

Yet, the name persisted, indicating an extreme emergency, one that concerns the wellbeing of the nation.

The man in white did not dare to neglect his duties, taking the letter and sprinkling it with powder from a secret compartment. The original text gradually faded away to reveal the true intelligence, and upon seeing the solidly written words "White Tiger Hall," his expression turned slightly frosty.

The entire log cabin seemed to grow more oppressive.

It was as though a fierce tiger was roaring softly.

White Tiger Hall is an organization in Jianghu.

Jianghu affairs, Jianghu people—these should not be a concern of the Imperial Court.

But White Tiger Hall is different.

A chill appeared in the man in white's eyes.

.....................…

Fufeng County City.

Several days had passed since the Mid-Autumn Festival, with the leftover festivity gradually dissipating. Fufeng Academy was becoming lively again, its roads bustling with scholars and the classrooms filled with the measured voices of Masters, accompanied by the clear sound of reading aloud.

Baili Feng, with his fierce Mo Blade in hand, strode strongly forward.

In his every movement, there was now a sense of weightiness, clearly showing that he had made significant progress in his martial arts. As he passed the bamboo groves and crossed the trails, he burst into the Wind Character Tower with enthusiasm.

Glancing around, he did not spot the blue-clad youth in his usual place.

Slightly stunned, his gaze swept over the various spots in the Wind Character Tower, past the bookshelves, up the wooden stairs.

But he couldn't find any sign of Wang Anfeng.

Baili Feng's brows knitted together, he was about to search up the endless flight of stairs, when someone tapped lightly on his right shoulder. Turning reflexively, he saw a red-clothed figure, her spirited eyes and brows not resembling an ordinary damsel.

"Tuoba…"

Baili Feng's eyes brightened, about to speak, yet the girl before him glared at him, a finger placed on her lips as she gently hissed for silence, then tilted her head, gesturing for him to step outside and talk.

Baili Feng nodded and followed Tuoba Yue outside, though inwardly he was slightly disdainful.

To him, the girl seemed overly concerned with propriety.

After all, everyone chats in the Wind Character Tower.

After they had moved some steps away, Tuoba Yue finally turned back to him and said,

"Baili blockhead, you were looking for Anfeng just now, weren't you?"

Baili Feng had already given up on resisting that nickname and, pretending he hadn't heard it, nodded and said,

"Yes, I was. I need to see him about something."

"Then you're out of luck. I heard that he's reached a barrier in his Inner Strength cultivation and didn't come today."

Tuoba Yue was speaking when she suddenly noticed an unusual Qi mechanism about the young man before her. Her voice paused, she peered at him more closely, an expression of surprise emerging in her eyes as she said,

"Is this... Have you had a breakthrough too?"

"Ninth Grade?"

"Heh, naturally!"

Baili Feng's mouth curved into a smirk, showcasing his pride. He drew his Mo Blade and executed a series of blade techniques.

The Qi force was solid, and the blade's frost chill sharp—it was obviously unequaled by his former self. With a slight exertion of his right hand, the Mo Blade came to a steady stop, and due to its hefty weight and special technique, a blade wind forced itself out from the steel, carving a significant mark upon the flagstone.

The fierce and vigorous Qi roused the swirling of fallen leaves.

In the sunlight, the military family's youth, dressed in black and red vigorous attire, held a serious expression on his usually irreverent face. His eyes sparkled, his thick and untidy eyebrows resembled drawn sabers, and as he slightly shook his wrist, the blade sang a long, low tune.

The spreading Qi sent the leaves swirling up again, enveloping the momentarily unresponsive Tuoba Yue in its midst.

The girl, watching Baili Feng, felt her heartbeat accelerate slightly.

Baili Feng sneakily glanced at Tuoba Yue, noting her apparent awe at his display of power and the surprised admiration in the eyes of the passing scholars, filling him with silent triumph. He cleared his throat softly, relaxed his stance, and stood up, his face a picture of nonchalance.

At that moment, he noticed some fallen leaves caught in the red-clothed girl's hair. Feeling a bit cocky, he boldly reached out, plucking them away. His hand paused momentarily, and on a devilish impulse, touched Tuoba Yue's black hair, gently ruffling it.

So soft.

The thought arose spontaneously in the young man's mind, and he noted the girl's cheeks turn rosy, her normally sharp features seemingly softened, yet her brows furrowed as if about to breathe fire. His heart skipped a beat, sensing trouble.

Wanting to dodge, but realizing it was his fault, he allowed his pounding heart to persist, stubbornly standing still and facing the sight of a tiny fist enlarging before his eyes, over and over. He simply shut his eyes, bolstering his courage internally with a scream,

Baili, the brave, faces consequences without fear! Never a coward!

"If I cry out in pain, I will..."

Tuoba Yue's fist smashed directly onto his nose.

Baili Feng only felt a sharp pain in his nose, as if it were on fire, followed by the warm flow of fresh blood, seeing stars and staggering backward two steps, he actually sat down on the ground. After a moment of numbness, a stinging pain came, but he, having been born in a military family with tough skin and flesh, managed to endure it.

However, when he opened his eyes, he saw the still furious Tuoba Yue. Baili Feng shivered, pulled his neck back, and without hesitation, let out a loud cry of agony.

It was heart-wrenching for those who saw it and tear-inducing for those who heard it.

"Ah! It hurts, it hurts, it hurts..."

Tuoba Yue flexed his wrist, his cheeks still tinged with a touch of flush.

Glancing at Baili Feng, who was sitting on the ground, his cries of pain exaggerated, and recalling his flippant behavior just moments ago, anger surged in his heart, dispersing the guilt and making him clench his teeth in hatred.

I actually thought he was not bad just now.

I, I, I...

I must be blind!

......................

Next to Wind Character Tower, in a small wooden house.

The young man had already locked the doors and windows; the room was devoid of light, much like the quiet room used by martial artists for critical moments of inner strength cultivation, shedding all distractions.

Wang Anfeng sat on the bed, still dressed in a blue shirt. He pulled out a mask from his bosom with his right hand, his thumb caressing it, feeling its cool texture.

He exhaled a breath of foul air and lifted his hand to fit the mask onto his face.

Immediately, he sensed a surge of qi sweeping past him.

When he lifted his right hand, a current of qi began pulsating. If he exerted more force, it would turn into a golden dragon circling between his fingers.

Just as the golden dragon was about to form, Wang Anfeng turned his fingers down, preventing the dragon from appearing.

After all, this was Fufeng Academy; among the Grandmasters with Upper Third Rank or higher, he knew of two. Having been advised by Master Ying not to let anyone know of the existence of Shaolin Temple, he naturally wouldn't draw attention to the mask under these circumstances.

Nevertheless, methods that are all show but no substance,

Are probably not taken seriously by those two esteemed seniors, right?

The Master must have given me this because he was worried I couldn't hold down that subordinate.

Wang Anfeng tapped the dignified and archaic mask gently with his hand, naturally coming to such a conclusion in his mind.

The Gang Leader of Giant Peng Gang, now his subordinate, must have considerable cultivation, being able to command three thousand martial artists. Though different from a martial arts sect, the fact that he could firmly manage his subordinates indicated that he himself must at least be around Seventh Rank.

Keep in mind that a General of any county within Great Qin has only about Eighth Rank cultivation. Your journey continues on My Virtual Library Empire

Ordinary people without any great fortune could only hope to reach Seventh Rank after a lifetime of painstaking effort, let alone Sixth Rank; that was utterly impossible. And that Gang Leader was in his prime, robust and strong. In a real fight to the death, ordinary Seventh Rank martial artists would stand no chance against him.

But to reign him in?

How should I do it?

My strength is not sufficient; do I need to put on a show?

Suddenly, Wang Anfeng felt a headache coming on. At that moment, he heard Master Ying's voice in his ear, instructing him to return to Shaolin Temple. With no other option, Wang Anfeng had to clear away his distracting thoughts and whispered softly. In the blink of an eye, the scenery changed, and he was not in the Shaolin Temple but beside that towering tree he had seen before.

Within his field of vision, there was no sign of Master Ying. A surge of unease welled up from deep within Wang Anfeng.

Am I supposed to handle this matter alone?

What should I do?

Should I, like before, use this mask to summon the golden dragon to intimidate the adversary?

While his mind was cluttered with thoughts, a tall figure in black, stern in demeanor and robust in build, bearing a short spear on his back—the Gang Leader of Giant Peng Gang—materialized before him. Wang Anfeng's expression stiffened. Fortunately, the mask hid his unease.

But it was too late to summon the golden dragon now.

And deliberately doing so seemed excessive and would be inappropriate.

Unaware of what he was thinking, Gongsun Jing came forward with a salute and said,

"Subordinate Gongsun Jing pays respect to the Hall Master."

With the situation reaching a critical point, Wang Anfeng had no choice but to rapidly sort through his mind for a solution. Unable to find an appropriate method from books or Senior Masters' teachings, he could only attempt to emulate Master Ying's demeanor, feeling utterly uneasy within.

Meanwhile, Gongsun Jing, not having seen the imposing leader in green, felt slightly relieved. But then he saw the Hall Master turning his head towards him, standing with his back to the hands, and the cold gaze from beneath the mask piercing him, causing his heart to lurch.

The wind blew past, jade plaques tinkling below the tree, making a clear sound.

The blue shirt fluttered slightly, and he seemed as unfathomable as the renowned leader himself. For a moment, Gongsun Jing almost saw the silhouette of the leader in green behind the blue-shirted figure, filling heaven and earth.

The blue and green shirts, one real, one illusion, both watched him with an equally frosty gaze.

The brief sense of relief vanished in an instant, and a profound sense of awe rapidly ascended.

PS: Presenting the second update...