Rise of The Demon General

Amon's brows furrowed, The clan master was testing him?

"There is something different about you. Is it something that you bring with you?" Lin Weida asked.

"There is nothing that will interest a powerful senior like you," Amon answered.

Lin Weida extended his palm out, "let me see your space ring, then."

"Are you robbing me?" Amon asked.

"Robbing is too strong a word. I am inspecting you. I want to make sure you didn't keep anything from the clan."

"Weren't you the one who said six years ago that everything from the Hei clan is mine and no one is to take them from me?"

"Hahaha. That's true. I will be ashamed if someone sees me not sticking to what I have said. But… do you see anyone else here?"

Amon snorted. It's not like he expected the master of the clan to be anyone honorable. In fact, in his experience, there is no such thing as honorable. It was just a matter of opportunity and circumstance. Just as the clan master had said. In this place where no one saw what had transpired, even if Lin Weida killed him and robbed him after, a story could easily be woven to explain his disappearance.

Seeing that he was powerless to do anything about it, he could only comply. He took off the ring on his finger and gave it up. Lin Weida accepted the ring and forcefully intruded the ring's inner space, a trivial matter considering the gap in their cultivation, and checked the things inside.

After a while, the clan master frowned. There were some things inside but nothing out of the ordinary. The most valuable thing inside the ring was Aer Stones which amount was quite substantial for someone who received no support from the clan. But then again, he remembered a report about Madam Lin forcing the clan mission manager to allow Amon to exchange his mission points with Aer stones. Probably that explained the sum here.

Amon just stood there waiting patiently as Lin Weida inspected his belongings. But suddenly the clan master's arms swiped forward. Amon caught the abrupt movement and jumped back, but Lin Weida's action was too swift. Uncountable blue energy blades shot out with undetectable speed.

When Amon's feet landed back on the ground, all the clothes on his body had been shredded. He was naked leaving only the self-adjusting chainmail covering his upper body.

Amon looked at his body. No wound. The blue energy just now only cut his clothes. Lin Weida's control over the attack was inhuman. 'Hm?' Amon touched his skin. There were beads of water on his skin. 'Is this the residue of his attack just now?'

"That was one fast reaction," Lin Weida complimented. "And also a very fine protective garment you have there."

"Are you interested in it?" Amon asked.

"No, although it is good. It is only the level of the Human realm. It provides no advantage to me who is in the Martial realm. I, however, am interested in the thing that is dangling from your neck."

Amon looked down and realized that the black ring he wore as a necklace was completely in view now that his clothes were gone. This was bad, all his real valuables were inside this Black Space Ring. If Lin Weida took them from him. It would set him back by a great deal.

However, considering the current situation. Even if he resisted, the end result was the same. Might as well feign compliance and thought of a way to get it back later. He took off the black ring from the makeshift necklace on his neck and threw it to the clan master.

Lin Weida caught it with a grin. He then sent his consciousness into the ring.

"Hm?" The clan master's brow creased into a furrow. He turned the ring around before giving Amon a glance.

"What is this ring? Why do you wear it on your body?" He asked.

Seeing the unexpected reaction, Amon surmised there was something wrong. He decided to tell a lie, "It is a memento from Hei Gong, the past Hei patriarch. That is the remainder of his belonging that I carry with me to remember him by."

Lin Weida looked at the black ring one last time before throwing it back to Amon. Amon caught it, then sent his consciousness inside for a quick check. Everything seemed to be still inside.

"So it is just a rubbish ring. It seemed that you are really honest about having nothing of interest," Lin Weida said.

Amon was puzzled by the clan master's words, but he kept his cool expression, not allowing his surprise to inform the clan master that something was out of the ordinary. Amon reattached the black ring back onto his necklace and wore it back with a calm expression.

Lin Weida had also given Amon back his normal space ring. Amon made a quick check and saw that nothing was missing as well. He then took spare clothes inside the space ring and wore them.

"Since it was not because something you carry to resist the pressure of this room, that means it's your body," Lin Weida said.

Amon's heart skipped a beat hearing it, but he continued to maintain his cool expression.

"You must be those kinds of people who were born with special talent or constitution," Lin Weida continued. "Which means me investing in you to win the deathmatch in the tournament will not be a waste. Probably you can even win the tournament for our clan."

"You are registering me for the tournament?" Amon asked. He thought at first Lin Weida only sent him for that duel with the Wei clan during the tournament. The tournament sounded like a high-profile match, so he did not expect someone that was always considered an outsider in the clan would be given the right to participate.

"Of course, why not? Win glory for our clan, and perhaps we will treat you better, don't you think?"

Amon did not take the clan master's words at face value. "What's in it for me for winning?" Amon asked.

"Haha," Lin Weida laughed. "You sound as if winning it is just a matter of if you want to or not. All right, let's put it this way, if you can place yourself in the top ten, I will grant you one-time access into our Lin Tome Chamber and select one art inside."

Amon was intrigued, he was indeed interested in this tome chamber ever since he heard it from the maid. It would probably be worth the effort to win this tournament.

"To show my sincerity, here," Lin Weida threw a book to Amon. "Hopefully it can help you in the deathmatch."

He caught it and read its title, "Endless Concealed Slash."

"I heard from Lin Xi you like to use a dagger. That is one of the best arts we had for daggers here in this Lin clan. Not many practiced it since dagger is an unpopular weapon, so I guess I can spare the art for you rather than leaving it being useless. However, I am rather confused why you pick that weapon in the first place. Is it because you don't have access to any other weapon? Tell me, I can give you another high-quality weapon if you like."

"No, dagger is fine for me," Amon said.

"So be it. Well, that will be it."

"We are allowed to use weapons in the tournament?" Amon asked.

"Not at first, but you are allowed to use weapons in the final," Lin Weida replied.

Amon nodded at the answer.

"Practice well and do not embarrass our clan two and a half years from now. Do know that I don't have any use for a failure," Lin Weida reminded him.

Amon grinned but didn't say anything in response. He just turned and started walking out of the room.

"Wait! One more thing," Lin Weida called out.

Amon stopped.

"Do you truly have nothing to do with Wei Fan's disappearance?" Lin Weida asked.

"No," Amon replied and continued walking.

Lin Weida continued to stare at Amon till the boy was gone. He was wondering in his mind. He still couldn't decide if this boy was an asset or a liability.

Amon retraced the stone path to get back to the entrance of the garden. Madam Lin was there with Lin Bubai. She approached once she saw Amon. She asked, "I saw the Wei people come out. They didn't look happy. What happened inside?"

Amon told her about the deathmatch agreement which is to be carried out during the White Cloud Tournament.

"A deathmatch? Why do you agree to it?" Madam Lin asked, a worry in her tone.

"Don't worry, mother. I won't lose," Amon said.

"Bold words from someone who has no idea about his opponent," Lin Bubai commented. "The Wei clan might be smaller than us and is only a subsidiary of the Lei clan, but do not underestimate them. Some of their top talents are not any less than our Lin or Lei clans' talents."

"In that case, I should have no worry," Amon responded.

Lin Bubai glared at him. Did he just insinuate that the Lin clan's talents were nothing to be worried about?

Madam Lin didn't let the two converse further, she said to Lin Bubai, "Brother, if there is nothing else, we will be leaving."

She turned away and led Amon away before Lin Bubai could give any response. Lin Bubai simply looked at her back and sighed. "Why is that sister of his got so smitten with the boy?"