Chapter 34: Might As Well Play Along

"I will take care of it, Master. When the time comes, I will step in."

Lin Heng accepted the food box and spoke with a smile. From the shifting expressions on Xiao Rang's face, he could roughly guess what was happening outside. It was nothing more than others becoming unsettled by his sudden rise to prominence, leading them to harbor designs against the Cloud Sword Palace and himself.

Lin Heng, however, was indifferent to all of this. His current strength was already overwhelming. While he had not yet reached the point where he could treat all Grandmasters as mere trifles, he was already far beyond what an average Grandmaster could contend with.

Against a master like his own teacher—a Fourth Heaven Grandmaster—Lin Heng could settle the matter within a few dozen moves in a single encounter, much like the first time his master had coached him with the Heavenly Star Sword Technique, back when he was being soundly beaten.

If there were no reclusive old monsters who had mastered Heaven-defying arts while hiding their names, he might well be the supreme martial artist in the world right now. Furthermore, Lin Heng was still progressing at a rapid pace. Even if he could not yet be considered the undisputed number one, that title would belong to him before long.

Under such circumstances, whatever difficulties the sect faced were simply obstacles to be overcome as they arose. This was the confidence brought by power—the certainty that he could handle any turn of events.

Still, out of caution, Lin Heng carefully questioned Xiao Rang about the origins of the entire affair. Xiao Rang had not intended to trouble Lin Heng with external trifles, but since he asked, he did not hold back. He explained the current situation to Lin Heng and concluded, "Truth be told, I initially considered having you leave the mountain to avoid the disaster. But now that you have reached the Eighth Heaven as a Supreme Grandmaster, that is no longer necessary."

After listening, Lin Heng pondered for a moment and quickly grasped the strategy of his opponents. It was nothing more than inciting those ambitious, chaotic factions and the powerful organizations ranked below the three great martial arts holy lands to stir up trouble, using these cannon fodder to lure the experts of the Cloud Sword Palace away from the mountain. Then, they would concentrate their top combatants to launch a surprise attack on the palace. Their primary goal was to kill him; their secondary goal was to destroy the Cloud Sword Palace.

Lin Heng remarked, "If it is indeed the Heavenly Star Valley and the Frost City behind this, they must have considered the possibility of me fleeing early. Right now, there are likely many Grandmasters from both factions waiting around the Cloud Sword Palace for me to take the bait. If I had run out before my cultivation breakthrough, I would have truly walked straight into their trap."

Xiao Rang frowned upon hearing this. He had only thought that if Lin Heng picked a time to avoid any potential spies within the sect, he could easily vanish into the crowd. He had not considered that besides luring the sect's experts away, the opponents were also effectively fishing for him. If they could catch Lin Heng, they would not need to risk attacking the Cloud Sword Palace itself.

"We can use their own strategy against them," Lin Heng suggested. "We will pretend we haven't seen through their scheme and send our experts out to handle the disturbances. Meanwhile, we will secretly notify the neutral factions and some of our own reclusive experts to hide near the Cloud Sword Palace. Once these masterminds launch their surprise attack on the mountain, we can seize the opportunity to wipe them all out in one fell swoop. If all goes as expected, they will strike during the New Year holidays. We just need to be prepared by then."

This plan would have been unfeasible before he became a Supreme Grandmaster. Even if they had seen through the scheme and called back experts from various regions to help, they could have, at best, ensured their own survival. But now, with his strength as the foundation, everything was possible.

Xiao Rang fell into deep thought. He did not question the New Year timeline Lin Heng proposed; the logic was simple. If the enemies caused trouble outside for too long, the experts who had been sent away would return. Although the Lan Continent was vast, with a martial artist's speed, even accounting for delays, a round trip would take no more than two months. Thus, the masterminds had to act quickly.

"I believe your plan is feasible, my disciple." After calculating the maximum force the Cloud Sword Palace could muster and confirming that with Lin Heng as the core, they could achieve a counter-slaughter with minimal cost, Xiao Rang gave his approval. If they could eliminate the high-end combat power of the other two holy lands, they would not need to worry about slow attrition; they could swallow everything in one bite and grow exponentially.

"Then please go and make the arrangements, Master. I must continue my training. While the war has yet to begin, I can still improve my strength significantly." With the plan set, Lin Heng began to usher him out. Although the odds of victory seemed high, he had to race against time to prevent any accidents.

"Then continue your training, and I will not disturb you further." Since Lin Heng had agreed to act, all problems were no longer problems. This was the strategic value of a Supreme Grandmaster!

***

"Sect Master, what are the Young Sect Master’s intentions?"

As Xiao Rang returned to the main hall of the Cloud Sword Palace on the ground, the elders were still waiting there. The impatient Law Enforcement Elder, Li Yan, asked for the result. The other elders also looked at Xiao Rang, eager to know if Lin Heng planned to stay or flee. This would determine their course of action for the coming period.

"Heng'er’s cultivation has reached the Eighth Heaven of the Grandmaster realm!" Xiao Rang smiled, his tone filled with uncontrollable pride. This was his disciple, now blue from the indigo plant but surpassing it; how could he not feel proud? At this moment, Xiao Rang’s face was flushed, and his spirits were higher than ever.

"Eighth Heaven Grandmaster!!!"
"That is the realm of a Supreme Grandmaster!"
"The Young Sect Master is now the number one expert in the world!"

The elders exclaimed, unable to hide their shock and joy. A year ago, Lin Heng had become a Grandmaster at fourteen, becoming the future pillar of the sect that everyone looked forward to. They had expected this pillar to need many years of growth before he could make a decisive impact. To their surprise, in just one year, Lin Heng had reached the Eighth Heaven, becoming a Supreme Grandmaster, a level not seen in the martial arts world for many years.

With such a master guarding the mountain, the Cloud Sword Palace was now the safest place on earth. The predicament they had faced was instantly resolved.

"Elders, hear my orders." Xiao Rang watched the reactions of his fellow sect members with a smile. Once the excitement had settled, his expression became serious as he began to arrange the future policy of the Cloud Sword Palace.

"Please instruct us, Sect Master." The other elders turned solemn, their eyes fixed on Xiao Rang as they listened to what he had to say.