Universe Infinite Canteen-Chapter 395 Righteous Aura

"Oh, I told Elder Shi from Zhengqi Academy about what happened that night, and he said they would send someone to verify it at the Ruined Temple. I think once they've verified it, we should be getting our bounty,"

Gu Qingyi said, "You can rest assured. Zhengqi Academy is an esteemed sect; they definitely won't go back on their word."

Ma Lu did not express agreement or disagreement but simply asked, "Did you show him the Divine Detective Token?"

"Um... I had intended to, but it just so happened that the Beggars' Sect had lost the Lotus Bowl, and the other two Divine Detectives from Iron Clothes Sect were already on their way to Yuchang County."

Gu Qingyi said, "I was worried they might run into Elder Shi, so I lied and said I had no sect affiliation and that all of my martial arts were family-taught."

After listening to Gu Qingyi, Ma Lu realized he had somewhat misconstrued Zhengqi Academy's position.

After all, anyone would be skeptical hearing about a young man, with no sect affiliation and of unknown origins, who had killed the great demon from Vajra Temple, Yan Wuji. That would naturally be their first reaction.

Even with the testimony of Yan Wuji's widow and daughter, considering Yan Wuji was a cruel and ruthless person, Zhengqi Academy probably worried that he had abandoned his wife and daughter and faked his own death to escape, which is why they sent someone to verify again.

But now that Ma Lu had arrived, this was no longer an issue.

Ma Lu asked Gu Qingyi to take him to see the people from Zhengqi Academy.

With the Gang Leader position changing hands in the Beggars' Sect, Yuchang County was filled with Jianghu people coming to attend the ceremony. The inns in the city were overcrowded, and latecomers had to rent thatched cottages outside the city.

But for an esteemed sect like Zhengqi Academy, such troubles were unheard of, as their accommodations had already been arranged in advance.

Supervisor Shi Wenjiao and a group of disciples were staying at the residence of a wealthy family within the city.

Gu Qingyi explained their identities and reasons for coming to the doorman, and they were quickly brought inside.

However, they only met a few disciples from Zhengqi Academy in the front courtyard, and the leader among them told them that Supervisor Shi was meeting a distinguished guest in the back courtyard and asked them to wait there for a while.

So Ma Lu sat with Gu Qingyi on the stone benches in the front courtyard, watching the Zhengqi Academy's disciples practice calligraphy.

Zhengqi Academy was different from other Jianghu sects. In addition to martial arts, their disciples also needed to study and master the six arts of a gentleman.

In terms from another plane, it was about comprehensive development in virtues, intellect, physical education, aesthetics, and labor, easily surpassing other sects in overall quality.

And what was more terrifying was that despite the abundance of subjects they needed to learn, the disciples of Zhengqi Academy did not fall behind in martial arts. They continuously produced high-level martial artists, and the academy's head, Song Qingzhou, was even hailed as one of the current age's top five experts, his autographs intimidating others in the martial arts circles.

The calligraphy of these few disciples was clearly not lacking either; the characters they wrote were well-proportioned and vigorous, showing the style of masters.

One of them wrote the fastest, and after finishing, he tossed his brush aside and laughed, "Thank you to my fellow disciples for letting me win."

But the other three paid him no mind, continuing to calmly and steadily write their own characters; only the disciple who had received Ma Lu and Gu Qingyi earlier chided him with a laugh.

"The instructor asked us to practice calligraphy to cultivate our patience. Yet the more you practice, the rougher your temperament gets."

The scolded young disciple scratched his head, "We've been practicing calligraphy for almost an hour now, don't you guys find it tedious? Why don't we spar a bit to limber up?"

However, upon hearing this, the other three remained as unmoved as ever, "Go away, go away. We haven't finished yet. If you want to play, go by yourself."

The young disciple seemed disappointed, but soon he spotted Ma Lu and Gu Qingyi sitting to the side, approached them, and greeted them with a fist and palm salute.

"I am Qin Ruohai from Zhengqi Academy. I heard that you two are the heroes who killed Yan Wuji. Your skills must surely be extraordinary. I wonder if you could enlighten me with a demonstration?"

Two Divine Detectives from the Iron Clothes Sect are currently in town. Gu Qingyi has decided to keep a low profile, avoiding any conflict if possible, so as not to reveal his identity. Naturally, he would not agree. Find your next adventure on novelbuddy

Ma Lu was also not keen on engaging in a fight that offered no benefits, but after glancing at the other three disciples from Zhengqi Academy, noticing their impassive expressions, he realized this contest might not be coincidental.

After a moment of thought, he guessed the intention of Zhengqi Academy.

They probably wanted to use this sparring session to gauge their capabilities and see if they really had the ability to kill Yan Wuji.

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Therefore, even if he refused this spar, it was highly likely that there would be other contests later. And since Ma Lu was in urgent need of a bounty, he decided to display some of his skills and nodded, "Fine, let's do this."

Qin Ruohai didn't expect Ma Lu to agree so readily, showing a slight surprise, but he immediately smiled, "Brother Ma, you are our guest, so I'll let you take the first move."

Hearing this, Ma Lu wasted no time. He drew his sword and lunged at Qin Ruohai; subsequently, the card game unfolded, and both of them took several steps back, standing opposite each other.

Ma Lu assumed the initial stance of the Songxi Fast Sword, while on the other side, Qin Ruohai stood sideways, lifting his robe to hold a Top Scholar's Brush horizontally in front of his chest.

Ma Lu set the battle mode to sparring and made it public. Then he and Qin Ruohai each drew 3 cards from their decks.

As the one attacking first, Ma Lu drew 2 more cards.

Looking at his hand, Ma Lu still started with the Minor Eternal Spring Technique, adding 6 points of True Qi to himself.

Seeing the Minor Eternal Spring Technique for a moment, a trace of barely perceptible disdain flickered in Qin Ruohai's eyes, with his posture also slightly slackening. However, upon seeing the level in the top left corner, he perked up a bit.

"Oh, Brother Ma is so young, yet to think your Inner Strength is already so advanced."

Ma Lu casually responded, "Well, I started training quite early."

After that, he played another card—a Body Protection Card named Golden Cup and Jade Drink. This was the 2nd Level of the Thousand Gold Dispersion Technique.

Ma Lu didn't use the stronger Subduing Demon Vajra Skill because this martial art, originating from Vajra Temple, was somewhat conspicuous.

Since Zhengqi Academy was after Yan Wuji, they likely had some understanding of the Martial Arts he practiced. As a result, Ma Lu adjusted his deck temporarily before the fight, swapping out the Subduing Demon Vajra Skill for the Thousand Gold Dispersion Technique.

In terms of defensive capability alone, Thousand Gold Dispersion Technique was somewhat inferior to the Subduing Demon Vajra Skill, but it also had its advantages.

Ma Lu used 2 points of True Qi to activate the additional effect of Golden Cup and Jade Drink, gaining 6 points of parry, along with an effect that would recover 1 point of True Qi after taking damage.

Since he could not attack on the first turn, Ma Lu ended his turn after playing these two cards.

It was then Qin Ruohai's turn. He yawned as he drew cards, casually throwing out the card he picked without hesitation.

—Song of Zhengqi.

This was the mental method of Zhengqi Academy.

Qin Ruohai had only cultivated it to the 2nd Level. Each Song of Zhengqi granted him 5 points of True Qi and one level of Vast Righteousness State.

Qin Ruohai explained to Ma Lu, "Vast Righteousness State enhances the effects of my cards. Each level of Vast Righteousness State adds 1 point of power to my Attack Cards and 1 point of parry to my Body Protection Cards. Vast Righteousness State can stack indefinitely and remains present on the field."