At the very least, Lu Sheng had never heard of a famed expert who could almost kill an Intent Proficiency expert without using inner force. An Intent Proficiency expert's entire body's strength combined into one, and Intent Proficiency could temporarily increase the flow of Qi and blood, increasing their strength and speed.
An Intent Proficiency expert was equivalent to two Peak Strength Proficiency experts combined.
Inner Qi could only be used to increase speed and strength, so famed experts who cultivated both inner and outer force could not be that much stronger than Intent Proficiency experts, even if they were stronger.
With much difficulty, that old geezer Wang was finally brought back to life. He spat out another mouthful of extravasated blood and slowly regained consciousness. Under the gaze of the sect members, he struggled to prop himself up and looked towards Lu Sheng.
"Isn't that the Heart-Shattering Palm?! Which freak taught him the Heart-Shattering Palm?! Tell me, I promise I won't kill him!! "
Lu Sheng was stunned.
"Heart-Shattering Palm … Could this be the Heart-Shattering Palm passed down in the Wang family??" The crowd was stunned.
"This old man is ashamed!!" Old Man Wang yelled. With a flip of his body, he broke free from the support of the people around him and stood up.
"Where did you learn the Heart-Shattering Palm? It's full of mistakes, and you even used the wrong force. It's one thing to use the wrong force, but you still managed to severely injure this old man! This is outrageous!! "
He was angry and dejected, but his eyes grew brighter and brighter as he stared at Lu Sheng.
Lu Sheng was a little speechless. How could this be related? He had learned the Heart-Shattering Palm from Chief Constable Zhang. He had not expected it to be this old man's family technique. Judging by the looks of the crowd, this old man had probably been famous for quite some time. It didn't seem fake.
"You're stronger than me! And much, much stronger! "Old Man Wang said seriously, pushing away Zhao Jie who was trying to help him.
"I can't teach you, but my big brother can! Big brother … he can definitely do it! Your innate talent and Eldest Brother's strength! Maybe we can find a path, a hope! "
Lu Sheng was baffled.
The surrounding people did not understand what Elder Wang was trying to say. Only the middle-aged woman's eyes flashed. She seemed to understand what Elder Wang meant.
"Little brother, are you willing to become a member of my Crimson Whale Sect?" Elder Wang approached Lu Sheng solemnly. Suddenly, he slapped his forehead.
"Oh right, I forgot. You were here to join our gang!"
"Elder Wang … you should go and rest first. I can take care of things here," the beautiful woman said softly.
"That's good too. Ningzhi, I'll leave this little brother to you." Elder Wang also felt that his injuries couldn't be delayed any longer. He had to go back and recuperate.
Lu Sheng didn't have a chance to speak. He saw a group of people surrounding Old Wang and leaving quickly. Then, Elder Ouyang brought a group of people and stayed behind.
The people who stayed behind all looked at him vaguely, just like Zhao Jie and Elder Xiao.
"Little Brother Lu, why don't we go into the house and talk?" Elder Xiao suggested.
"Alright," Lu Sheng heaved a sigh of relief.
He wasn't afraid of offending anyone. What he was afraid of was accidentally killing an old man whom he had no quarrel with. That would make him an enemy of Crimson Whale Sect.
Seeing that Lu Sheng had agreed, Elder Xiao went to ask the middle-aged woman for permission. After receiving permission, he led the two of them into the house. Only the three of them entered. Even someone like Zhao Jie wasn't qualified to listen.
The three of them entered the house. Elder Ouyang and Lu Sheng sat down, while Elder Xiao stood to one side and listened.
Ouyang Ningzhi looked young, only about thirty years old, but in reality, she was more than fifty years old. Her slender legs were crossed, slightly tilted, and her chest was full. She sat on the chair with her back straight. Her figure was slim and graceful, and her appearance was elegant and beautiful. She had a dignified and upright appearance.
"Brother Lu, we've seen your strength. It's indeed extraordinary. The most suitable position for you in the sect should be the External Affairs Emissary. But we don't have the right to appoint or dismiss you. We can only report it to the Sect Master and wait for all the Elders to discuss it before deciding."
"It's alright." Lu Sheng smiled. "My purpose in joining Crimson Whale Sect is to learn and exchange stronger martial arts. The position doesn't matter."
"Stronger martial arts. In this aspect, our Sect is second to none in the entire Northern Lands. Sect Master is known as the Number One Swordsman in the Northern Lands. If you're looking for the strongest martial arts, our Crimson Whale Sect will not shy away from it. Even the government's yamen can't compare to us, "Ouyang Ningzhi smiled.
Elder Xiao explained from the side.
"Sect Master's reputation is second to none in the entire Northern Lands. Even the Chief Commander of Mountain-Edge City can only address himself as a junior in front of our Sect Master."
"Oh?" Lu Sheng was taken aback. Although the government's yamen wasn't very useful, it must have had its own merits to be able to survive in this world for so long. For a sect's boss to be able to sit on equal footing with the head of the government showed that Crimson Whale Sect's background was not as simple as it seemed.
"Now that the ghosts are wreaking havoc, the people in many places are in dire straits. Many of our sect's elders have gone out to assist the government in dealing with troublesome matters. Perhaps the position of External Affairs Emissary will only be approved a little later. I'll raise little brother Lu's position to the Nine-Fish position for now. Please forgive me, little brother, "Ouyang Ningzhi smiled.
"It's alright. As long as you don't miss out on the benefits you deserve, "Lu Sheng smiled and asked again," What kind of contribution do I have to make to enter the sect's Martial Proclamation Library? "
"The Martial Proclamation Library has a portion of public martial arts. Those above the Five-Fish level can view them for free. Those at the Nine-Fish position can view all Strength Proficiency martial arts. Any martial arts that can be trained to the Strength Proficiency realm, whether inner or outer force, can be viewed for free," Ouyang Ningzhi answered seriously.
"Even at the Strength Proficiency level?" Lu Sheng's eyes lit up.
The Strength Proficiency level was the level of the Black Tiger Saber Technique that he had learned. In reality, if one practiced the Black Tiger Saber Technique according to the manual, the highest one could reach was Strength Proficiency. After that, one could only rely on one's own understanding of Intent Proficiency.
This was the case for Lu Sheng. After a few words of advice from Zhang Xun, he comprehended it on his own.
In reality, there were also Intent Proficiency manuals above Strength Proficiency. Those manuals gave step-by-step instructions on how to reach Intent Proficiency, and were even rarer.
"As for higher levels, as well as seeking guidance from the sect's experts, you'll need to expend sect contribution points," Ouyang Ningzhi smiled.
After that, she and elder Xiao told Lu Sheng some general knowledge about Crimson Whale Sect.
For example, the symbol of the sect members' clothes. From ordinary sect members to minor leaders and big leaders, they were divided by the number of fish on their clothes, from one to nine, with the highest being Nine-Fish.
After that was the White Whale symbol, which was used by Elders and External Affairs Emissaries. Above that was the Double White Whale symbol, which was unique to the two Deputy Sect Masters.
Lastly was the Crimson Whale, which represented the Sect Master.
After a round of chatting, it was almost evening. Ouyang Ningzhi took her leave early.
Elder Xiao and Zhao Jie then invited Lu Sheng to a restaurant outside for a lavish banquet, as a form of celebration for his entry into the sect.
After a round of drinking, elder Xiao sat on his seat and heaved a long sigh.
"To be honest, this world is fraught with dangers everywhere. Our sect also suffers from an extremely high casualty rate. That's why we have such a high demand for experts."
"An extremely high casualty rate? What do you mean by that, Elder Brother Xiao? "Lu Sheng asked, puzzled. Although he had his own guesses, he did not voice them.
Elder Xiao smiled bitterly, "Younger Brother Lu, perhaps you don't know. This Mountain-Edge City looks peaceful and rich on the outside, but behind the scenes, countless threats and dangers are smothered in the dark. Our Crimson Whale Sect is one of those who help to deal with these matters. Otherwise, why do you think the imperial court allows so many sects to exist? "
Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes, somewhat surprised by the other party's frankness.
"Danger? What other dangers could there be in Mountain-Edge City? "
Zhao Jie couldn't help but interrupt, "Brother Lu, Younger Brother Lu, you won't mind if I call you brother, will you?"
"What's wrong with that?" Lu Sheng smiled and waved his hand.
Zhao Jie continued with a bitter face, "You don't know the dangers of this world. Every day, more than ten people pass through my hands to join our sect. That's more than three hundred days a year. That's three to four thousand people! So many people. After so many years, why are there still only tens of thousands of people in the sect? Where have the rest gone? They're all either dead or crippled. "
"Based on what Zhao Jie said, our Crimson Whale Sect is considered pretty good. At least we can earn some profit even if we can't work anymore. The rest of the sects are the ones who are worse off … "elder Xiao sighed.
The lights in the private room flickered. For a moment, none of them spoke.
Lu Sheng was silent for a moment before asking slowly, "I wonder what this so-called danger is referring to …?"
"Nothing taboo," elder Xiao waved his hand. "The things we deal with are mainly man-made disasters. Arresting criminals. Those who commit murder, arson, robbery, rape, and then fight for territory and resources. These are all man-made disasters. Occasionally, we'll encounter Black Calamities as well. They're just some bizarre and inexplicable incidents. For example, a while ago, Squire Wang's second daughter suddenly disappeared in the middle of the night. By the time she was found, she was lying under a willow tree by the Cypress Pine River outside the city. She was covered in black hair. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, I wouldn't have believed it myself. "
"This … is true?" Zhao Jie was astonished.
"Yes, it's true. I saw the girl with my own eyes. She was only eleven or twelve years old. She was covered in hair and even her clothes couldn't hide it. Later, Squire Wang came to our sect. It was External Affairs Emissary Lord Li who personally killed the girl. I heard that when he did it that night, the entire courtyard rumbled like thunder, "elder Xiao sighed.
"Black Calamities … are there many of these?" Lu Sheng narrowed his eyes. He understood that this was the name Crimson Whale Sect used to refer to those supernatural incidents.
"Not many, but once every few months. Occasionally, the frequency isn't low either. Basically, if you don't pay attention to it, it'll disappear on its own. Even if it doesn't disappear, it won't expand. It'll just stay in a small area. You'll be safe as long as you avoid that area, "elder Xiao explained.
Lu Sheng nodded. He finally understood how ordinary people dealt with these supernatural incidents.
"Speaking of which, there's been a strange incident around here recently. Brother Lu, have you heard of it?" Zhao Jie interrupted.
"What strange incident?" Lu Sheng asked.
Zhao Jie frowned slightly and said in a low voice, "Previously, there was a scholar who lived nearby called Wang Ziquan. I heard that he went to a pleasure boat in the middle of the night for no reason and never came back. Not long ago, it caused quite a ruckus."
"I've heard of it too. I even asked the higher-ups if they wanted to deal with it. After all, it caused too much panic. The higher-ups directly replied that we don't have to deal with it. It'll settle down on its own after a while, "elder Xiao continued.
Lu Sheng's eyes narrowed. He vaguely understood.
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