Chapter 27: Establishing Authority

Wu Wen spoke as he flew toward the opposing ship.

The man on the other side, seeing this, looked at Wu Wen and shouted loudly, “You? Fine. I'll take you on myself!” With that, he brandished his steel whip once more.

Wu Wen wielded a meteor hammer in his hand.

Indeed, Wu Wen possessed some skill. When the steel whip clashed with the meteor hammer, it was clear the latter held a significant advantage. As the man’s steel whip lashed out, Wu Wen’s meteor hammer crashed into it.

A resounding clang rang out as the weapons collided, and the burst of spiritual energy rippled through the air, shaking even the ship on the opposite side.

Clearly, both men were formidable.

Moreover, after Wu Wen’s strike, the man’s steel whip bore new dents and jagged marks. In terms of weapon strength, Wu Wen’s meteor hammer was superior.

Seeing this, a vicious glint flashed in the man’s eyes. He gazed at the damage on his whip with clear dissatisfaction and spat, “Damn you! You dare to damage my weapon? Today, I’ll show you what I’m really made of!”

With a surge of spiritual power, the man’s whip, originally only two meters long, suddenly blazed with dazzling light and extended to three or five meters in length with a flick.

With a single sweep, he ensnared Wu Wen’s meteor hammer.

Wu Wen, not as strong as his opponent, failed to react in time. The meteor hammer was wrenched from his grasp.

The man then swung with all his might, sending the meteor hammer hurtling back at Wu Wen.

With a thunderous crack, the weapon struck Wu Wen squarely on the head.

Wu Wen didn’t even have time to cry out before he plummeted quickly onto the deck of his own ship.

Immediately, two disciples from the Breeze Sect who were close to Wu Wen rushed over and carried both him and his weapon back aboard.

By the time Wu Wen was brought back to the ship, his face was covered in blood, and he’d fallen unconscious, unresponsive to any calls.

Only after forcing a few pills down his throat did his pallor improve somewhat, though he remained unconscious and deathly pale.

Seeing this, the Breeze Sect disciples could no longer contain themselves; their faces were grim, their eyes blazing with fury. If looks could kill, their opponents across the way would have been torn to pieces and devoured alive.

Someone was about to rise and accept the challenge.

However, the man with the steel whip, seeing more Breeze Sect disciples preparing to charge forward, quickly raised his hand and said, “Hold it! Your elder lost the first round, and this kid lost the second. You’re not planning to throw yourselves at me one after another in a war of attrition, are you? Even if I beat all of you senseless, it’s pointless for me. Wasting my time on a bunch of weaklings like you is meaningless.”

His arrogant words filled the Breeze Sect with rage. One disciple shouted, “What do you want then? Today, our Breeze Sect will not let an arrogant villain like you off so easily!”

“Simple enough—let’s make this interesting. How about we set some proper rules? Let’s say, best of five rounds—first to three wins. Whoever wins can continue on their way. If you lose, you Breeze Sect lot can pack up and crawl back to your den. How’s that?” The man spoke with a careless air.

Hearing this, the Breeze Sect disciples immediately responded, “Fine! We’ll compete. Do you think we’re afraid of you?”

“That’s right! We of the Breeze Sect fear no one. You’ve already come to our doorstep to bully us.”

“Exactly! Today, we’ll let you see what we’re really capable of!”

The Breeze Sect disciples shouted in excitement; not one of them shrank back.

They kept clamoring for the contest.

But the elder leading the Breeze Sect knew all too well the strength of their opponents, and his eyes betrayed a deep wariness—he dared not accept.

At this point, the elder from the opposing side sneered, “What’s this? All these greenhorns are shouting to take up the challenge, but your Breeze Sect’s leader hasn’t agreed. Looks like your elder’s scared. If that’s the case, just kneel down, kowtow three times each, and crawl on home. Then maybe we’ll let you off today.”

Lin Hao, who had been quietly observing everything, had seen every moment clearly. Seeing the elder silent and the other side so brazen, Lin Hao’s gaze grew colder, a surge of anger rising within.

He stepped forward, pointing at the opposition. “You’re going too far. Our Breeze Sect has no feud with you. Why must you press us like this?”

The surrounding Breeze Sect disciples fell silent, surprised at Lin Hao’s intervention.

Nearby, two other disciples who always stuck close to Zhou Yichen were also astonished.

Ever since the incident began and their elder was injured, these three had said nothing. When the other disciples were furious earlier, they stood aside meekly and kept quiet.

Now, seeing Lin Hao step out, Zhou Yichen nudged the disciple next to him.

That disciple looked at Lin Hao with an unreadable expression.

Zhou Yichen and his companions cursed inwardly: “Fool! Everyone knows we’re no match for the other sect, yet this Lin Hao insists on playing the hero.”

So the disciple immediately stood up and pointed at Lin Hao. “Lin Hao, stop grandstanding. The elder hasn’t spoken—what right do you have to? Don’t drag the Breeze Sect into disaster. No one can bear the consequences if things go wrong.”

Lin Hao turned his gaze to the speaker. He remembered everyone’s reactions just moments before. He knew these three had always cowered at the back, afraid to get hurt. Now, after he’d stepped up, this one dared to speak for the other side.

A murderous glint flashed in Lin Hao’s eyes. With a resounding slap, he sent the youth flying to the back of the ship, almost knocking him off entirely.

Radiating an imposing aura, Lin Hao looked at the youth and declared, “As a disciple of the Breeze Sect, there is no such thing as retreating without a fight. Someone like you is unworthy of our sect.”

Seeing Lin Hao take charge, the others felt no discomfort. Though Lin Hao was a new inner disciple and the youngest among them, at this moment, he’d stood up for everyone, winning their respect.

Though they’d all been eager to fight moments ago, they’d already mentally prepared themselves for injury. Their elder was wounded, Senior Brother Wu Wen was wounded—of the two strongest among them, both were down. They knew their opponents were formidable. Their bravado was only so the sect would not lose face; in their hearts, they were already ready to suffer and return in disgrace.

But now, Lin Hao was like a beacon, standing up for them and asserting the Breeze Sect’s dignity.

Everyone looked at Lin Hao as though he were their senior brother.

At that moment, someone nearby murmured, “He really does look impressive—just like our Breeze Sect’s senior brother.”

After that, no one disagreed; instead, they all nodded in approval.

Because of Lin Hao’s show of strength, Zhou Yichen, who had intended to speak after that other disciple, now hesitated.

He looked at Lin Hao, fear flickering in his eyes. The other youth beside him was equally frightened.

Neither dared to help their comrade.

After Lin Hao slapped the youth unconscious, he turned to Zhou Yichen and his companion.

With a murderous glare, Lin Hao’s eyes froze them in place, their hearts pounding as if they might stop.

At that moment, they felt that if they made another move, Lin Hao would truly kill them.

So the two stood dumbly in place, unable to utter a word.

Seeing they finally quieted down, Lin Hao turned to the rest of the Breeze Sect. He’d caught the earlier comment about “senior brother”—a faint smile flickered at the corner of his lips, though his expression remained stern as he looked at their opponents.

The opposing elder had also overheard and noticed Lin Hao’s actions. He realized Lin Hao was the one who’d hovered above the ship earlier. On hearing the Breeze Sect disciple call him “senior brother,” the elder’s eyes glittered with curiosity.

“You must be Azurecloud of the Breeze Sect?” the elder asked.

Lin Hao’s eyes flickered with doubt, but he quickly surmised the man must have misheard and mistaken him for Senior Brother Azurecloud.

He chose neither to deny nor confirm, but merely raised an eyebrow and said seriously, “I accept your terms—best of five. I’ll represent the Breeze Sect in the first match.”

As soon as Lin Hao spoke, a disciple in white beside the opposing elder stepped forward, his eyes blazing with fighting spirit.

This was a core disciple of their sect. He’d long heard of Azurecloud’s reputation and considered only Azurecloud worthy of his attention.

He’d never met Azurecloud in person, but had always wanted the chance to test himself against him.

Now, hearing his elder’s words and seeing Lin Hao step forward, he assumed Lin Hao was Azurecloud and rose to the challenge.

The man with the steel whip was surprised to see this core disciple move forward. “Senior brother!” he called.

The core disciple merely raised his hand, silencing him.

Lin Hao watched as this disciple approached the ship’s edge, fixing his gaze on him. “So you are Azurecloud. In that case, I’d like to spar with you. Do you dare accept my challenge?”

“Of course. Why wouldn’t I?” Lin Hao replied without hesitation.