Translator: AnubisTL
Swamp Pass!
Cultivation Chamber!
As soon as Senior Liu entered, he stood with his hands behind his back, his sharp gaze fixed on Gu Feng. His imposing figure and piercing eyes made Gu Feng inwardly complain, "Didn't I already explain to Senior Guo earlier that I don't need any more combat guidance? Why is another one here?"
Just as Gu Feng was about to speak, Senior Liu seized the initiative. His words were fierce, and his expression was downright terrifying: "Gu Feng! Do you know the weight of the responsibility on your shoulders?"
Gu Feng was utterly confused. He still held great respect for these seniors, so in the absence of clarity, he could only nod blankly.
"Swamp Pass has just achieved some success, and you've already become complacent, indulging in comfort and forgetting your purpose. How will you accomplish anything in the future? You can't possibly be unaware of the current political situation in the court. Although we hold some advantages, they are not yet stable... The reason the other side is holding back is because they're waiting to see the outcome of your decisive battle with Shu Yuheng at the end of the year..."
Senior Liu's lecturing tone made Gu Feng's head spin, and a surge of anger began to rise within him.
I've been working hard, okay? I haven't squandered my monthly dividends, using them all to enhance my cultivation. How am I being indulgent or complacent?
Despite his inner frustration, Gu Feng didn't let it show on his face. He took a few deep breaths to steady his emotions and then spoke, "Senior Liu, I—"
But before he could finish, he was interrupted again.
"Don't say anything. I don't want to hear any excuses. Today, I will spar with you, and I might go a bit hard on you. I hope you understand—it's all for your own good!"
Hearing this, Gu Feng's expression turned strange. Senior Liu's cultivation was suppressed at the Fifth Stage of the Innate Realm. Even if he went all out, he probably couldn't break through Gu Feng's defense while in the state of Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlit Night. This was utterly disrespectful!
Initially, Gu Feng had high expectations for the guidance from his seniors, but now it seemed like a waste of time.
After this, it's over!
"Make your move!"
With that thought, the moment Senior Liu's voice rang out, Gu Feng activated Immortal by the River, his speed so fast that afterimages appeared. In a tenth of a breath, he was right in front of Senior Liu.
Before Senior Liu could react, Gu Feng unleashed Jade Lion's Golden Roar, leaving Senior Liu dazed. Then, he followed up with Ten Thousand Beasts Manual.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Ah!
Ouch!
The cultivation chamber echoed with the sounds of fists meeting flesh and cries of pain. Ten breaths later, Gu Feng finished and returned to his original spot.
Senior Liu, who hadn't even had a chance to strike, collapsed to the ground.
His face was swollen and bruised, blood dripped from his nostrils, and half of his graying beard had been torn off... He looked utterly pitiful.
"You... how are you so strong?" Elder Liu lay on the ground, his eyes wide with shock, his words slurred.
Fast, too fast. Gu Feng's attacks were both precise and ferocious. Despite his rich combat experience and deep martial understanding, Senior Liu couldn't react.
To be precise, he wanted to react, but his body couldn't keep up.
"Senior Liu, I'm sorry, I might have gone a bit too hard on you!" After the beating, Gu Feng's anger dissipated, and he suddenly felt that he might have been a bit rude. He quickly ran over to help Senior Liu up.
"After Senior Guo went out, didn't he tell you about my combat strength? Those at the Fifth Stage of the Innate Realm are no longer a match for me. If you want to guide me, you should at least suppress your realm to a higher level, otherwise, it's meaningless!" Gu Feng said in a low voice.
Hearing this, Senior Liu was stunned for a moment, then burst into a tirade: "Did you just beat up Old Guo as well? You must have! That bastard, he got himself into trouble and had to drag me along with him. That old rascal didn't mention a word about his fight with you!
That scoundrel... may his children be born without anuses... ouch, it hurts so much..."
Listening to Senior Liu's unbridled cursing, Gu Feng couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated. It seemed that the shareholders weren't being entirely honest with each other. In the future, they would need to organize more team-building activities to bring them together as one!
"Senior Liu, you should wait until your injuries heal before going out again!"
"Of course, you brat! You have no sense of restraint, you almost killed me!" Senior Liu muttered, pulling at the corner of his mouth. He then took out a pill and began to heal his injuries.
Soon, the injuries on his face disappeared. He gave Gu Feng a deep look, his eyes twitching slightly, and then strode towards the door.
"Senior Liu, I'll go out with you!" Gu Feng followed closely behind.
"Alright... oh, no, you can't go out!" Senior Liu stopped in his tracks, his eyes shifting as a sly smile curved his lips. He turned and grabbed Gu Feng, smiling warmly as he said, "Gu Feng, you're so strong now, right? Do you have a suitable weapon?"
"My iron fists are enough to be invincible, I don't need a weapon!" The Soul Shattering Whip was Gu Feng's trump card, and he wouldn't use it lightly.
"That won't do! Without a weapon, you'll be at a disadvantage and might suffer losses!" Senior Liu said gravely. "You need a high-grade pair of gloves."
"Senior is right!" Gu Feng nodded in agreement.
"I have some top-notch Artifact Crafting Materials here, I'll give them to you!"
Gu Feng was taken aback. Senior Liu wasn't known for being generous, and giving away Artifact Crafting Materials for no reason must mean he had some ulterior motive.
So he remained silent, listening quietly.
"I have a favor to ask of you. When Old Huang comes in later, give him a good beating..."
"That doesn't seem right!" Gu Feng stroked his chin, his eyes gleaming.
"It's settled then, I'll go out first." As he left, Senior Liu seemed quite excited.
...
"Ahem!" With two light coughs, Senior Liu appeared before the crowd.
"Old Liu, what's going on? You're even more perfunctory than Old Guo!" The other seniors looked at Senior Liu with astonishment. The latter remained silent, walking over to Senior Guo and whispering, "You really did it!"
"Just barely," Senior Guo smiled faintly in his heart, replying calmly.
The brief exchange between the two made the people outside the cultivation room feel a pang of unease, their expressions turning serious.
"Has Gu Feng really become irredeemably bad?"
"Even if he's that bad, you two can't just go through the motions like this!"
"Old Guo took a quarter of an incense stick's time, Old Liu took an eighth of an incense stick's time. One faster than the other, one more careless than the other."
"..."
Seeing the two standing there like wooden statues, the crowd grew both angry and frustrated.
Senior Huang quickly walked over, took the Mystic Artifact that suppressed his realm, and glared fiercely at the two. He set his realm to the Fourth Stage of the Innate Realm, then strode confidently into the room.
After the time it takes to burn one-sixteenth of an incense stick, Senior Huang emerged.
Just like the previous two, he made no mention of the situation inside the cultivation chamber. He merely glared fiercely at Senior Liu and Senior Guo before expressionlessly handing the Mystic Artifact to the next person.
"What's going on? Can't Gu Feng even withstand the Fourth Stage of the Innate Realm?" The atmosphere outside the cultivation chamber grew increasingly tense.
Gu Feng's condition was worse than expected.
"I'll go!"
"Old Ge, be patient, put in some effort, and don't be as impulsive as they were. Try to engage with Gu Feng for as many rounds as possible."
"Don't worry, I'm famously patient!"
Senior Ge went in, and Senior Ge came out!
Silence seemed contagious, as his demeanor was no different from the previous three.
The seniors entered one after another, each staying inside for about one-sixteenth of an incense stick's burning time.
Silence spread like a virus, raging wildly. Every senior who emerged stood like a wooden stake, not exchanging a word, just standing stiffly to the side.
Not far away, Chu Youhuan was laughing hysterically in her heart. She bit her lip, her delicate body trembling uncontrollably, as if she were having a seizure.
"Little Chu, what's with that expression?"
"Nothing, I just feel like laughing, is that not allowed? I told you earlier that Gu Feng can no longer be guided, but you wouldn't believe me!" Chu Youhuan said with a smile.
"Hmph, I don't believe in such nonsense. Gu Feng has a solid foundation; he's a good seedling for cultivation. As long as he's a seedling, I have a way to make him thrive!"
The speaker was an Elder from the Unwavering Sect.
With a stern expression, he exuded an air of authority and solemnity, serving as the chief of the Cultivation Method Hall in the Unwavering Sect.
He had nurtured countless prodigies, and even those with mediocre talent could achieve beyond their potential under his guidance.
Based on Gu Feng's past performance, he refused to believe that Gu Feng was a lost cause.
There are no true lost causes in the world, only incompetent teachers.
As he entered the cultivation chamber, the dozens of silent seniors twitched their lips simultaneously and let out a soft sigh.
Ah—
As the sighs echoed, they glanced at each other, all seeing the amusement in each other's eyes.
Finally, finally, it was the last person's turn. This was truly great.
Inside the cultivation chamber, Gu Feng sat cross-legged on the ground, grinning widely, with hundreds of high-grade Artifact Crafting Materials piled beside him.
"Senior Zhu, what else is needed to craft a pair of Mystic Grade gloves?"
"Almost there. If we could get a Violet Lightning Stone, it would be perfect."
"Alright, I'll ask the next victim!"
There was a commotion at the door. Gu Feng looked up and smiled, revealing a row of white teeth.
"Senior Shi, don't say anything. I just have one question: do you have a Violet Lightning Stone on you?"
"Yes. Hold out for three moves under my hand!" Elder Shi was sparing with his words. As soon as he finished speaking, he unleashed the domineering Spiritual Power of the Fourth Stage of the Innate Realm and swung a punch.
"Alright, no problem!" Gu Feng puffed out his chest, taking the punch head-on.
"Boom—"
Crack—
Amid the deafening roar, there was a faint sound of bone cracking.
Looking at Gu Feng, who remained calm and composed, Elder Shi silently retracted his fist, the wrinkles at the corner of his eyes twitching a few times.
Without another word, he took out a fist-sized stone with a purple glow from his Storage Ring and tossed it to Gu Feng.
"What a waste of time!" Before the words even finished, he turned away with a haughty demeanor. At his level of cultivation, he could gauge an opponent's strength with a single move.
Although he had only used half his strength in that punch, Gu Feng had taken it head-on with his chest and even managed to fracture his finger bones. The sheer strength displayed far exceeded his expectations of Gu Feng.
At that moment, he finally understood why those who had come out earlier stood there like wooden stakes, silent and unmoving—they were setting up those who followed.
What a bunch of schemers!
Elder Shi exited the cultivation chamber without so much as a glance at the others. He tossed the Mystic Artifact that suppressed his cultivation level to Chu Youhuan and left without a word.
"He's not injured? He came out so quickly?"
"Bullshit, he's not injured! Didn't you see his right hand trembling slightly? His finger bones must be broken."
"That guy really knows how to put on a show, pretending to be tough!"
"Sigh—let's go. We've just wasted a few pieces of Artifact Crafting Material for nothing."
"What a mess."
Behind them, Chu Youhuan's unrestrained laughter echoed.
(End of the Chapter)
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