parentshiftbook Chapter 50: The Traitor Emerges, Final Preparations Before the Battle
Chapter 50: The Traitor Emerges, Final Preparations Before the Battle
It was already late at night when I left the Su family home.
The moon hung in the sky, round and bright. Moonlight spilled onto the bluestone path, giving it a silvery glow. A night breeze blew by, carrying the chill of late autumn, and the sycamore leaves rustled along the roadside.
As Lin Chen walked back to his dormitory, the plans they had just discussed were still replaying in his mind. Three months, three-way cooperation, step by step—he felt the plan was thorough enough. But there was always an inexplicable unease in his heart, like a thorn stuck there.
Back in the dorm, the lights were off. Even breathing came from Zhao Lei's bed; he was fast asleep. Lin Chen quietly closed the door, groped his way to his own bed, and sat down cross-legged.
He took the star-patterned jade pendant that Su Zhennan had given him from his bosom and held it in his palm.
The jade pendant was cool and smooth, its star patterns faintly glowing in the darkness. He closed his eyes and activated the Star Martial Core.
A surge of pure star power flowed from the jade pendant, drilling into the body through the palm and merging with the star power in the dantian. The Star Martial Core spun wildly, like a fully fed engine, swallowing star power and spiritual energy from the air, then expelling it, repeatedly cleansing the meridians.
Silvery star power surged within his body like luminous rivers. His meridians felt swollen and throbbing, both warm and painful. Lin Chen gritted his teeth, enduring it without uttering a sound.
He was already used to the hardships of this kind of cultivation.
For the next three months, Lin Chen was like a wound-up toy.
Every day at four in the morning, before dawn, he would get up and go to the training ground to practice the "Star Martial Basic Fist Manual" and the "Star Chasing Step." The training ground was empty; he was the only one there. The wind howled as he punched, and the blows made muffled sounds as they hit the air. He would practice until noon, when the sun was directly overhead and his clothes were soaked with sweat, before he finally stopped.
In the afternoon, he went to the library to look up information about the Demon-Suppressing Array and the Demon Clan. The ancient books were thick and old, the pages yellowed, and some even had wormholes. He read them one by one, jotting down useful information in his notebook. Sometimes Su Muyue would come too, bringing her book on array formations. The two of them would sit in a corner, she explaining and he listening.
Su Muyue was very skilled at explaining formations. She wouldn't jump straight into complex theories, but instead started with the most basic formation structure, demonstrating it to him through drawings. She explained in detail where the formation's core was, what kind of formation patterns were prone to creating weaknesses, and which point was most effective for attacking with star power—and Lin Chen learned quickly.
In the evenings, Su Qingyue would challenge him to sparring matches. The two would fight in the training ground, using only fists and feet, without weapons. Su Qingyue's Ice Palm was fast and cold; it could freeze a person in the air if they weren't careful. Lin Chen initially suffered quite a few losses, but he gradually figured out her style and could fight her to a draw. After each sparring match, both of them were panting heavily, but neither was willing to admit defeat, and they would fight again the next day.
After Zhao Lei recovered from his injuries, he started training with Lin Chen. He wasn't as talented, but he worked harder than anyone else. While others trained for two hours, he trained for four. With this relentless drive, he broke through to the mid-stage of the Qi and Blood Realm and was appointed captain of the logistics and medical team. He patted his chest and told Lin Chen, "Don't worry, leave the injured students to me; not a single one will die."
News also started coming from Jiang Chen's side.
After three months of covert investigation, the network of traitors within the Wang family within the Martial Arts Association has been largely uncovered. Besides Zhang Tao and Liu Kun, there are seven enforcement team captains and three directors of the Martial Arts Association, all members of the Wang family. These individuals abused their positions to tip off the Wang family, help cover up their crimes, and gradually infiltrate the Martial Arts Association.
Jiang Chen had already collected all the evidence—secret letters, audio recordings, and videos—filling several file folders. He said he was just waiting for the joint training exercise to wipe them all out.
The military troops had also secretly entered the Northwest Forest Region. They set up temporary camps in the mountains, controlling all three main entrances and exits to the forest. During this time, they clashed with the Wang family's elite assassins five times, winning all five battles and seizing a pile of evil magical artifacts and weapons. The Su family's exorcism assault team also entered the forest region, familiarizing themselves with the terrain while conducting live-fire drills.
The situation at the Su family's side was also progressing smoothly. Su Zhennan, along with twelve array masters, thoroughly researched and mastered the method to break the Twelve Capital Heavenly Fiend Array. Su Muyue made one hundred and eight Evil-Slaying Flags, each engraved with runes that restrained the evil race. She rolled them up in cloth and carried them on her back like a bundle of firewood.
Everything is going according to plan.
There is only one month left until the joint training exercise.