Chapter 30 Storm Settling

Chapter 30: The Storm Subsides

"He's not qualified? Then am I qualified, Young Master Bill?" A calm voice came from behind the crowd.

When the voice stopped, everyone's eyes blurred, and a figure abruptly appeared in the center of the scene.

Simultaneously, a pressure spread throughout the area—the kind of pressure unique to true experts, an innate pressure that a superior exerts over an inferior.

Everyone couldn't help but feel uncomfortable. This pressure from a superior to an inferior could be crushing; as long as your strength wasn't as high as theirs, you would feel its oppressive force. Naturally, the greater the gap, the greater the pressure.

It's like an emperor and a commoner; when a commoner has an audience with the emperor, they feel immense pressure. That pressure is intangible, the innate oppression a superior has over an inferior.

Even if that emperor is just an ordinary person, the pressure on a commoner still exists, independent of martial strength.

It's the so-called dragon's might.

But for martial artists, it's different. For martial artists, such potent pressure only comes from a significant disparity in strength. While a minor difference in strength can create some pressure, it's usually negligible and fundamentally ineffective—at most, it inspires a bit of respectful caution, the innate wariness the weak have for the strong.

Once one reaches the Sword Saint level, his pressure is greatly enhanced. Even a Great Sword Master would be unable to raise his head under the pressure of a Sword Saint, but this also depends on the individual's own strength.

The greater one's strength, the less pressure one feels; the weaker one's strength, the greater the pressure.

A powerful expert can even kill with aura and pressure alone.

But that also requires the opponent's strength to be far inferior to his own. Otherwise, martial artists of similar level and comparable strength wouldn't need to cross blades; they could settle it with pressure alone. What would be the point of risking their lives with real weapons then?

However, a true expert usually disdains using pressure to kill because those who can be killed by pressure are far weaker than oneself. What's the point in that? It can't kill a true expert; it can only slightly hinder them.

Even so, aura pressure remains very useful among experts. In battles between experts, the slightest movement can determine victory or defeat. As long as it can affect the opponent slightly, the balance of victory will tip in your favor.

Of course, such pressure can be controlled and released at will. Otherwise, if a Sword Saint couldn't control his pressure freely, then the whole world would know he was a master. He would have no way to conceal his power. Moreover, if he walked on the street, he would likely walk alone; lesser martial artists would flee at his approach, lest they be crushed by his aura at any moment.

Such an expert would be like a plague carrier; wherever he went, there would be no one.

No one would welcome that.

...

Bill gritted his teeth, struggling to resist the intangible pressure, his heart filled with deep fear. He felt as if his bones were contracting, and the air from all directions seemed compressed, squeezing him relentlessly.

His originally handsome face was now twisted in pain, his ashen face dripping with sweat.

Bill thought in agony, "I've really messed up this time. Am I going to perish here today? My wonderful life, my beauties... I refuse to accept this!"

Just as Bill was lamenting his impending tragic fate, suddenly, the relentless pressure squeezing him vanished. With his mind relaxed, Bill didn't care about anything else and slumped to the ground.

Bade smiled with satisfaction, his eyes sweeping over the crowd. When his gaze passed over Lin Xing, it paused slightly. He frowned, then nodded, and withdrew his own pressure.

He had no wish to be seen as a bully. Using his aura had been a last resort, provoked by Bill's arrogance.

Especially because Bade couldn't stand Bill's arrogant attitude, he increased the pressure on him, which is why Bill felt it so intensely.

Lin Xing narrowed his eyes, watching this suddenly appearing expert, sizing him up continuously. "An expert, definitely an expert among experts, much more powerful than that Babi from before. Babi definitely didn't have such formidable pressure."

For some reason, Lin Xing had a particularly strange feeling, sensing that the people from Jufu Lou treated him differently, but he couldn't quite put his finger on how.

Especially just now, Lin Xing clearly felt that the pressure applied to him was significantly less than that on others, as evident from Bill's pained expression.

Actually, Lin Xing wasn't entirely correct. While Bade did focus most of the pressure on Bill, he didn't go easy on Lin Xing either. It's just that Lin Xing's strength was also very high, so Bade's pressure had no real effect on him!

Thus, Lin Xing mistakenly thought the pressure applied to him wasn't that great.

Bade glanced at Lin Xing and at Bill, who had just slumped to the ground and was now being helped up.

Bill was currently in a sorry state, his heart filled with nothing but deep fear. He had always believed he was a genius, an incredibly powerful genius. Although he usually encountered some experts, those experts, out of respect for Old Bill, never gave Bill a hard time and even flattered and fawned over him.

Bill thus assumed that with his strength and status, no one in the Huaxia Empire would dare to mess with him.

But today, he encountered Bade and the other man, who not only didn't care about Bill's status but also gave him a hard time.

"Heh, I'm the person in charge here, Bade. Back to the main point, Young Master Bill." His voice suddenly turned stern. "Not only did you violate our Jufu Lou's rules, but you also intended to attack our guests and our staff?"

Bade questioned without giving any face.

"Regarding your behavior..." Bade looked at Bill, "I despise it, I find it repulsive, so I also despise you!"

"Therefore, our Jufu Lou does not welcome guests like you. You may leave!" Bade pointed toward the staircase as he spoke to Bill.

Bill's face was pale, half from fear and half from anger at Bade.

"But what about him?" Bill angrily pointed at Lin Xing. "He also took action."

"Him? You mean Young Master Lin Xing? It seems it was you, Young Master Bill, who initiated the trouble, right? Young Master Lin Xing was merely defending himself. Don't you realize you were the one causing trouble alone? Moreover, out of respect for your grandfather, I'm not pursuing the damages you caused to our restaurant. And yet you're still chirping away here!!"

"Aren't you leaving yet? Do I need to escort you out?" Bade suddenly said with a cold face.

"You..." Bill pointed at Bade...

"What do you mean 'you'? Let me tell you, I just don't like you. We simply don't welcome you. What can you do about it?"

Tit for tat!!

"You... you..." Bill was so angry he couldn't speak. His attendants didn't even dare to breathe loudly!

"Let's go. You better watch out."

Bill glared fiercely at Lin Xing and led his attendants out in disgrace.

Seeing the venomous look in Bill's eyes, Lin Xing smiled slightly. Who's afraid of whom?

Lin Xing had never been one to shy away from trouble.

However, this feud was definitely settled.