The Martial Fanatic

1,014 words

The barefoot man was enraged. The woman could barely save herself, yet she kept provoking him!

“Fine! Fine! Fine!”

He laughed in fury, spitting out three words.

“Then today, you die here!”

He pointed at the silver greatsword. The blade blazed with light, erupting with a blindingly powerful sword aura, then descended toward the girl’s head with the crushing weight of a mountain.

The girl gritted her teeth and urgently commanded her silk handkerchief, which expanded into a cartwheel-sized yellow disc to block the strike.

With a tearing sound, the top-grade magic tool, already at the end of its strength, was split into fluttering fragments by the silver sword at full power. The silver blade flashed, manipulated without hesitation by the barefoot man, and continued its merciless descent toward the girl’s bitter, ironic smile.

A sharp clang rang out. The silver sword, still a yard from the girl’s head, was stopped by a golden flying blade that shot in from the side. The blade danced into a blur of golden light above her, refusing to let the silver sword descend an inch.

“Who? Show yourself!” The barefoot man’s face darkened. With a wave, he recalled the silver sword. His eyes swept like lightning toward one side, fixing on a huge boulder. He had seen clearly—the golden blade had flown from behind it.

“Heh. What a nice day today! Why fight and kill? Isn’t it better to sit down and talk things over?” A figure emerged from behind the stone—a yellow-robed youth of ordinary appearance. He scratched his head, looked up at the sky, and laughed.

But the youth’s face carried a helpless expression. It was Han Li, who had seen the girl in mortal danger and, without thinking, acted to save her.

Han Li could only stare at the sky in silence at his own impulsive act. This was a complete violation of his principle of self-preservation! He had meddled in trouble for no reason at all. Truly, beauty was a disaster!

Still, he knew the reason. This girl had left too deep an impression on him. He could not watch a woman he genuinely liked die before his eyes and remain unmoved. It seemed his heart was not truly hard. He was not the kind of ruthless, merciless, and utterly cold leader who would sever all ties. Han Li smiled bitterly, his thoughts wandering.

But the trouble was already here. He had to force himself to focus and deal with it. Fortunately, after his battle with the Treasure Girl and Feng Yue, he had gained some confidence in facing these elite disciples. He was not panicked. He had already grabbed several items in his hands.

“It’s you?” The green-clad girl finally got a clear look at Han Li’s face. She covered her mouth in shock, her expression one of disbelief.

Han Li saw that she only now recognized her savior, her face full of confusion. He found it both funny and annoying.

But on the surface, he simply nodded faintly at her, then turned to the barefoot man and continued:

“What do you think of my suggestion, brother? Why not let this young lady go? You go your way, I go mine. We each keep to ourselves. That way, no harm is done to our goodwill.”

Han Li still clung to the hope of avoiding a fight. After all, picking a fight with a ‘master’ for no reason, with the risk of death, was simply not a wise move.

But Han Li never expected that the barefoot man would ignore his words entirely. Instead, he stared with great interest at the golden sub-blade in Han Li’s hand, as if the blade itself was far more interesting than Han Li.

This reaction secretly annoyed Han Li. Suppressing his displeasure, he was about to say something more when the man across from him suddenly spoke, and his first words stunned Han Li.

“That golden blade in your hand—it’s part of the same magic tool set as the one in the air, isn’t it? And it blocked my silver sword for a while without breaking. That means it’s a top-grade magic tool, am I right?” The barefoot man from the Giant Sword Sect stared with blazing eyes and asked slowly, his aura surging with frightening intensity.

Han Li blinked, confused. What did he mean? But he answered casually, “You’re right. They are a set of top-grade magic tools, and…”

“Enough! That’s all I need to know. Attack, please. If you can defeat me, not only will I spare this woman’s life, but the spirit medicines in this stone hut are all yours!” The man cut him off before he could finish, then spoke with a face full of fanatical fervor, leaving Han Li stunned.

This man was a ‘martial fanatic’ of the cultivation world! Han Li suddenly realized, feeling a surge of depression. He couldn’t find the words to say.

“Take this!” Without waiting for a reply, the man didn’t even activate a protective shield. He immediately redirected the silver sword away from the girl and charged it toward Han Li with overwhelming momentum.

Knowing the opponent’s nature, Han Li understood that words were useless. He shook the sub-blade in his hand, and the remaining seven sub-blades flew from his storage pouch, transforming into seven golden beams of light. Without hesitation, they met the silver greatsword.

But Han Li did not pull out a defensive talisman to add a protective barrier to himself.

He had seen the silver sword shatter the girl’s silk handkerchief. He understood clearly that the silver sword’s power was terrifying. An ordinary protective barrier would be shattered in one strike, resulting in both the barrier’s destruction and his death. So it was better not to use any defensive spell. That way, he could rely on his unpredictable movement to deal with the enemy’s surprise attacks.

As Han Li pondered, the seven sub-blades—except for the one guarding the girl—had already tangled with the silver greatsword. They churned and tore at each other like seven golden serpents and a giant python, neither showing weakness.

Share to

Reading Guide Decoding

A Rare Glimpse of Han Li’s Heart

Cultural / Xianxia Notes

Wǔ Chī (武痴) – The Martial Maniac: This term, literally “martial fool” or “martial fanatic,” describes a character type that pops up in xianxia and wuxia stories. These individuals are utterly consumed by martial arts and combat. They don’t fight for treasure, face, or revenge; they fight for the pure, ecstatic experience of a good battle. A wǔ chī is defined by his intense, sometimes irrational, passion for a worthy opponent. Seeing one should instantly shift your read of the scene—from a standard treasure dispute to a personal, unavoidable challenge. For someone like Han Li, who values efficiency and risk-avoidance above all else, encountering a wǔ chī is like a chess grandmaster being forced into a bar fight: it’s an entirely different game, and a profoundly annoying one.

The “Useless” Shield: Han Li’s decision to forgo a protective shield is a brilliant piece of strategic thinking that reflects the hardcore nature of Mortal Stream combat. He observes that the silver greatsword shredded a top-grade tool with ease. Therefore, a standard elemental or qi barrier would be paper before it. Instead of wasting mana on a shield that will break in one hit, he chooses to invest all his resources in mobility (movement technique) and offense (golden blades). This isn’t a rash choice; it’s a cold calculation that accepts the risk of a one-hit-kill in exchange for greater tactical flexibility. It’s classic Han Li—and classic Mortal Stream pragmatism.

Chapter Overview

Here we go, fellow cultivators! Chapter 201 drops us right into the thick of a high-stakes duel, only for our ever-cautious protagonist to make a very un-Han-Li-like move. The barefoot Giant Sword Sect brute is about to crush the green-clad girl when a golden flying blade screeches in from the sidelines. Yep, Han Li has officially thrown his hat into the ring, and he’s not happy about it. This chapter is a fascinating character beat, as we see Han Li break his sacred “never lift a finger without profit” rule for a woman he likes—and then immediately get slapped with the consequences in the form of a full-on,狂热 martial fanatic who just wants to throw down. Get ready for a clash of wills, a test of principles, and a very annoyed Han Li.

Key Plot Points

The barefoot man, having chopped the girl’s top-grade handkerchief tool to shreds, is about to deliver a killing blow with his silver greatsword.
Han Li’s golden flying blade intercepts the sword, saving the green-clad girl at the last second.
Han Li emerges from behind a rock, looking deeply bored and regretting his impulsive decision to get involved. He tries to negotiate a peaceful exit, but the barefoot man ignores him entirely.
The barefoot man identifies Han Li’s golden blades as a set of top-grade magic tools and, in a sudden shift, challenges Han Li to a duel. If Han Li wins, he can have both the girl’s life and the spirit medicine inside the stone hut.
It’s revealed that the barefoot man is a “martial fanatic” (武痴), a cultivator who lives for the thrill of battle and the challenge of a strong opponent.
Han Li, realizing peace is off the table, unleashes his seven golden sub-blades to engage the silver greatsword, while consciously deciding not to use any protective barriers, knowing they’d be useless anyway.

Reading Guide

This is a short but sweet chapter that serves as a brilliant character study for our hero. Watch how Han Li processes his own mistake. He didn’t calculate the risk; he reacted emotionally. The narrative even gives us a rare, direct insight into his psyche: he admits he’s not a cold-blooded killer who can watch someone he likes die. For the first time in a while, we see the ghost of the simple village boy still living inside the hardened cultivator. But don’t expect this to become a trend. The narration is clear that Han Li sees this as a lapse in judgment, a piece of “red beauty trouble” he has to clean up. Also, note the barefoot man’s sudden shift in personality. One moment he’s a cold killer, the next he’s a fiery-eyed challenger. This “wǔ chī” archetype is a crucial reminder that the cultivation world is full of people with drives that have nothing to do with profit.