Talented Martial Hero
Chapter 217 The Stealth (Part One)

'Have they somehow detected our true identities?" Darren grew worried. He knew that somethingwas wrong.

His forehead furrowed as he contemplated their situation. The recommendation letter he held in hishand had been written by a respected elder from Dragon Holy Land. It was supposed to allow thementry into the competition. Since the letter was not fake, why were these people stopping them?Darren tried to determine the reason by pretending to be offended. Displeasure laced his voice ashe remarked, "You worthless disciples! How dare you prevent the disciples of Dragon Holy Landfrom entering? You will regret your behavior today.” Darren glared at the disciples, trying tointimidate them with his threatening words.

However, the two men did not show the slightest signs of fear. Instead, they laughed at Darren'sbravado. "What can you do to us if we refuse entry to you? Where did you get the recommendationletter, anyway? Read it, boy! The letter says that the principal disciple of Dragon Holy Land is at thetop level of the Wonder Realm primary stage, not some weak and frail boy from the MysteriousRealm like you," one of them taunted. As he spoke, his remarks were followed by an obnoxiouschortle from the other guy.

Darren peered at the letter.

His eyes widened when he realized that the recommendation letter specified the realm of thefighter selected to participate in the competition. Thinking back, this embarrassing situation musthave been caused because the Dragon Holy Land's elder had seen Darren defeat three prominentfighters single-handedly. The elder believed that Darren belonged to the top level of the WonderRealm primary stage and mentioned his realm in the letter. But the fact was that he was still inMysterious Realm.

Darren sensed that he needed to show his skills to the disciples to get into the competition ground.Mere explanation by words would be a waste of time and might not change the disciples’ minds. So,without another word, Darren released his spiritual power to demonstrate his ability. A gust ofstrong power shot out of his body and headed for the Blade Holy Land disciples. A split secondlater, Bruce also released his spiritual power. When Darren's spiritual power had almost reachedthose disciples, Bruce's strong power was already on its way. Officially at the Wonder Realm, theaura he released was so dense and potent that the disciples felt tremendous pressure that madethem gasp for breath.

With evidence of their real strength, the disciples could no longer stop Darren and Bruce fromentering. "You are, indeed, cultivators at the top level of the Wonder Realm primary stage. Weapologize if we offended you. You can enter now!" The Blade Holy Land disciples stepped aside andbowed with respect.

Although their apology did not sound sincere, Darren and Bruce ignored the disciples as theywalked past. Since the purpose of their trip was to replace Elsa, they did not linger at the gate. Instead,they headed for the palace.

As they neared the main building, an attendant disciple emerged and led them through the maze ofhalls and yards. Finally, they reached a well-maintained garden lined with houses. They knew fromthe contour of the houses that this was the dwelling district for the disciples of Dragon Holy LandAs Darren had disguised himself, he did not worry about being recognized by anyone. There was asmall possibility that someone from Dragon Sect might have seen his picture, and would hence,recognize him. However, Darren could handle the situation easily as he carried the Holy Lord'stoken. It was rumored that anyone who possessed the token represented the Holy Lord and thatothers were duty-bound to show complete obedience.

After the attendant disciple had shown them their room and left, Darren spoke to Bruce, "Wouldyou please go and replace where the Lotus Holy Land disciples have been stationed? See if Elsa is there.If you replace her, tell her that I am here and remind her not to do anything foolish. I need to attend toanother matter. Once it is done, I will replace you guys,” Darren instructed. Bruce knew of Darren'splans.

Grimacing at Darren, he replied, "Okay, I will look for Elsa right away. But, please be careful whenyou survey the area. After all, this is Blade Holy Land's territory, and we cannot afford to start a riothere."

After hearing his reminder, Darren flashed him a broad smile. "Dude, when did you become sosmart?

It is extraordinary that you were able to guess what I was thinking," Darren said, his voice laced withhumor. Bruce released a little hollow laugh and did not say anything.

Then he left to search for Elsa.

Darren stayed in his room until darkness fell and the moon rose high in the sky. After dressing inblack clothes, he exited the room and vanished into the shadows.

He understood that Elsa had suffered ever since the Blade Holy Land people had captured herfather. Considering his close relationship with Elsa, and his deep respect for Elder Thomas, Darrencould not watch them suffer. His conscience would not be at ease until he had rescued ElderThomas and relieved Elsa's agony.

In terms of strength, Darren had now reached the stage where he could move through restrictedareas without being detected. Aside from an exceptional and talented master, no one else couldspot him. Happy with the knowledge that he could safely explore the area because of the superiorskill, Darren decided to go deep into the palace to replace where Elder Thomas was imprisoned.

'It is lucky that they captured Alan before Elder Thomas. Otherwise, they might have beheaded ElderThomas first. If that were the case, Elsa would be utterly devastated and inconsolable!" Darrenmused. Darren could have come to their rescue several months earlier. However, he did not act untilnow as his strength was weak, and he was afraid of the consequences of provoking the Blade HolyLand at such a troubled time. Any hasty action would have alerted the disciples and caused moreharm to Elder Thomas.

So, Darren had waited patiently. He used this time to pay close attention to the matter and work onhis skills. Once he felt that he had become strong enough to win against his enemy, Darren headedfor Blade Holy Land. Coincidentally, he arrived at the same time as the annual martial artscompetition at Blade Holy Land. As the event attracted cultivators from all over, Darren could enterwithout much difficulty.

While searching through the area, Darren used his spiritual sense to check for any hints of possiblesword intent. Since he knew that Elder Thomas practiced the sword, the easiest way to detect hiswhereabouts would be to identify areas with strong sword intent.

Suddenly, Darren sensed sword intent emanating from a palace in the distance. This is weird. I wasnot expecting to replace Elder Thomas in such an extravagant place, ' he deliberated over his discovery.