"Jin Kui's rescue attempt failed, and he even got himself caught in the process!"

A Jeep sped along the mountain road. Guan Feifei drove rapidly, her tone scornful. "That idiot! He was just trying to take all the credit for himself. If anything happens to Li Qiran, chopping off ten of Jin Kui's heads wouldn't be enough to pay for it!"

Lin Mu's curiosity grew. "Who on earth is this Li Qiran to warrant such a massive response from you all?"

Guan Feifei glanced at Granny Li in the back seat and hesitated.

Lin Mu smiled slightly and snapped his fingers. Granny Li immediately slumped over in her seat, fast asleep.

Guan Feifei's eyes widened, once again shocked by Lin Mu's methods.

"Mr. Lin, you must promise me first that not a single word I say will be leaked!" Guan Feifei's expression turned serious. "After all, this is a breach of discipline."

Lin Mu sat up straight. "Go on."

Guan Feifei let out a long breath. "Li Qiran is involved in an SSSS-level secret. As for what that secret is, someone of my rank isn't qualified to know."

"But what I can tell you is that SSSS-level secrets are something only people of my grandfather's rank are somewhat privy to, and even they don't know much." Gripping the steering wheel with one hand, she held up her other. "In all of Huaxia, no more than five people know about this."

No more than five people?

This time, Lin Mu was genuinely shocked. He hadn't expected an ordinary girl to be involved in such a high-level secret. According to Guan Feifei, did that mean only someone of Xiao Xuan's caliber was qualified to know?

"Mr. Lin, don't blame me for being vague. I don't know much myself, but not a single word of what I've told you can get out!" Guan Feifei reminded him gravely. "Otherwise, it won't just be me. My grandfather, and even my entire Guan Family, will be implicated."

"I understand," Lin Mu smiled. "You wouldn't be telling me this if you didn't trust me."

Guan Feifei chuckled softly.

* * *

Legends say that Sichuan-Shu is home to many Jiaolongs and even more Sword Immortals. While that's only what the old texts claim, the abundance of mountains in the region is an undeniable fact.

Li Qiran was being held in a mountain hollow in Sichuan-Shu called Mount Zoujiao. It was the site of an old, deserted village. The residents had moved out long ago, but some of the houses remained.

A few miles from Mount Zoujiao, on a small hill, a contingent of over ten thousand soldiers was stationed. This was the temporary base for the rescue operation.

When Lin Mu's group arrived at the foot of the mountain, they were stopped.

"Sorry, you can't go up."

The two soldiers on guard duty blocked the Jeep, preventing them from entering. What's more, countless hidden rifles were aimed at the three of them, ready to fire the instant they made a move.

"Your head instructor, Zhou Dalong, asked us to come!" Guan Feifei said. "If you don't believe me, you can ask him right now. Here are my credentials."

The two soldiers glanced at each other. One of them nodded, stepped aside, and reported the situation on his walkie-talkie.

"Identity confirmed. Allow them to pass."

Just as the soldiers were about to let them through, another vehicle drove up and was also stopped. Two men got out of the car, one dressed in white, the other in black. The two were identical twins, and judging by their aura, they were powerful experts.

Grandmasters?

Lin Mu's gaze sharpened slightly. The twins were both Grandmasters.

"Master Yang, you've finally arrived!"

At that moment, a group of people descended from the mountain, led by a dark-skinned, powerfully built man with sharp, gleaming eyes.

"Instructor!"

This was the head instructor of the Shu Region Military Area, Zhou Dalong.

Zhou Dalong nodded and walked toward the twins, a smile spreading across his face. "Master Yang, you've finally come. Thank you for making the journey."

"It's no trouble," the twin in white said. "Alright, enough with the pleasantries. Let's head up the mountain and rescue the girl."

"Excellent." Zhou Dalong was delighted, but then he noticed Guan Feifei.

"Greetings, Instructor Zhou!" Guan Feifei saluted and said, "Instructor Zhou, this is Lin Mu from Jiangling."

"Oh?" Zhou Dalong sized up Lin Mu. "Since you're also here for the rescue, then you should come up with us."

"Instructor Zhou, is that really necessary?" the twin in black interjected with a frown. "With my brother and I on the job, what kind of enemy can't we handle? Besides, this man is clearly an ordinary person. Isn't he just going up to get himself killed?"

His words, though not explicitly scornful, were laced with an unmistakable, innate arrogance.

"Well..." Zhou Dalong looked troubled. "Masters, he was recommended by the team in Jiangling. It would be difficult for me to just send him away. How about we let him come along?"

The man in black was about to speak again, but the man in white cut him off. "Awu, let it be."

The black-clad twin turned to Lin Mu, his eyes holding a clear warning. "You can follow us, but no matter what you see, keep your mouth shut and don't you dare interfere. If you obstruct the rescue, I'll kill you myself!"

As he finished speaking, he struck the mountain wall beside him with his palm.

BOOM!

A distinct palm print appeared on the rock face, so clear that even the lines of his palm were visible.

The move awed everyone present. How terrifying! To leave a palm print on solid rock required immense power. But what was most frightening was that the area surrounding the print was completely unscathed. Clearly, the man's control over his power had reached a horrifying level.

The man in black retracted his hand and smiled proudly. "So, don't play games with your life. Let's go."

Without waiting for a response, he started walking up the mountain.

"Mr. Lin, can you do that?" Guan Feifei asked, glancing back at the palm print with a grave tone. If a blow like that landed on a person, wouldn't it kill them instantly? In all his years as a soldier, this was the first time he had ever seen such a thing.

"Trivial tricks, hardly worth mentioning," Lin Mu replied with a slight smile, calmly starting up the mountain path.

Watching his retreating back, Guan Feifei was momentarily stunned. Trivial tricks? Mr. Lin, isn't that boasting a little too much?

Though Lin Mu's voice was low, the twins heard him clearly. After all, they were both experts of the Grandmaster Realm.

"You arrogant brat!" the Black-clothed Grandmaster raged. "Say that again if you dare! Do you believe I won't end your life with a single palm strike?" This kid had no strength to speak of, yet his audacity was astounding. To dare be so disrespectful was to court death!

"Awu!" the White-clothed Grandmaster reprimanded him. "The rescue is our priority. Don't cause unnecessary trouble!"

"Hmph!" The Black-clothed Grandmaster seemed to obey his brother without question. He shot Lin Mu a cold glare. "Kid, after I've rescued the hostage, we'll have a proper 'spar'."

"I'll let you see for yourself whether my Iron Palm Technique is truly a 'trivial art'!"

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