Translator: AnubisTL
Dazzling silver light filled the room, and razor-sharp blade auras enveloped Gu Feng's entire body. The walls of the training chamber were marked with straight, terrifying gashes.
Gu Feng shattered several blade auras with a single punch and, stepping on the rhythm of Immortal by the River, closed in on Chu Youhuan.
"Apart from close combat, your other techniques are nothing to write home about!"
"One trick is enough to conquer the world. Close combat is all I need."
Roar—!
The Jade Lion's Golden Roar!
A deafening roar echoed through the chamber. Chu Youhuan's eyes momentarily lost focus, and Gu Feng chuckled before charging forward.
"Giggle, this move doesn't work on me anymore. After breaking through to the Spirit Nurturing Realm, my Soul Power has increased exponentially. How could I fall for it again?"
Chu Youhuan smirked confidently and launched a fierce counterattack as Gu Feng closed in.
Gu Feng was forced to retreat, battered and disheveled. "Miscalculation!"
Taking a deep breath, he activated the Ten Thousand Beasts Manual, a technique he hadn't used in over a year!
He transformed into a furious beast—now a lion charging down a mountain, now a wolf pouncing, now a deer leaping, now an eagle diving. Claws, teeth, hands, feet, elbows, knees, shoulders, even his head and teeth became weapons. Every bone in his body moved, maximizing its potential.
With his improved cultivation and deeper understanding of martial arts, Gu Feng seamlessly fused Immortal by the River with the Ten Thousand Beasts Manual, making his already ferocious attacks even more savage.
His strikes were lightning-fast and aimed at the most vulnerable spots. Even Chu Youhuan, with her superior cultivation, found herself struggling against this relentless assault.
In the past, she had been unwilling to admit it, but now she understood: facing Gu Feng's fighting style, dodging was futile. No matter how you evaded, some attacks would inevitably land.
The only way was to abandon some defense and fight back with equal ferocity!
"Hah!"
Chu Youhuan let out a sharp cry and, instead of retreating, advanced boldly, countering Gu Feng's storm of attacks.
The two figures darted across the training chamber, their movements a blur. Each breath brought dozens of intense clashes.
The onlookers finally realized that when Gu Feng got serious, he was truly formidable—capable of holding his own against Chu Youhuan, a Spirit Nurturing Realm expert.
"It's confirmed now. Leader Gu was definitely messing around earlier!"
"If I had his strength and such an opponent, I'd probably mess around too."
"That's just how men are, huh—"
"I have a question: how many moves have they exchanged?"
"It's hard to count. At the beginning, they were rolling around for a long time. Technically, that's one move, but Leader Gu managed to sneak in countless attacks during that time."
"Hahaha, even kissing counts as a move."
"Leader Gu's attacks seem normal now, but why do I still feel like they're not entirely proper?"
"Your feeling is right. If Chu Youhuan weren't guarding her vital areas so tightly, he'd probably still be up to no good!"
"This is worth exploring. Unless you've been hurt in that area before, it's hard to explain this scene. Look, Chu Youhuan's defense is so tight that it's affecting her offense."
"..."
Boom—!
Under Gu Feng's relentless assault, Chu Youhuan once again revealed a flaw.
Gu Feng picked up Chu Youhuan's straight and slender legs, first giving them a pinch, then swinging them around in circles.
This scene caused an uproar among the onlookers, who loudly accused Gu Feng of being a pervert.
In all honesty, if Gu Feng had known, he would have vehemently protested his innocence. His actions, which appeared to be a mix of caressing and light pinching, were not meant to be perverse. Instead, they were a special technique to forcibly break the opponent's defense by targeting the meridians and certain acupoints in the legs, causing a slight paralysis.
Otherwise, if you swing your opponent around, and they suddenly kick you with full force, wouldn't that leave you half-dead?
"Gu Feng, I need to talk to you about something!"
"Senior Zhu, are you asking about my Martial Skill?" Gu Feng responded while still swinging Chu Youhuan in circles.
"Your Ten Thousand Beasts Manual, I'm no longer capable of guiding you in it! I just want to tell you that you should avoid using this Martial Skill as much as possible in the future," Zhu Qingyan said solemnly.
"Why? I think the Ten Thousand Beasts Manual is incredibly powerful and suits me perfectly," Gu Feng asked in surprise.
"The strength of the outside families, sects, and sacred lands far exceeds your imagination. Many of them have the heritage of imperial weapons, making them terrifyingly powerful. When fighting their disciples, winning might not bring disaster, but insulting them is absolutely unacceptable. Your Ten Thousand Beasts Manual might not cause much physical damage to female cultivators, but it is extremely insulting. I'm afraid that if you use it too often, you'll be hunted down by major forces every day!"
Hearing Zhu Qingyan's words, Gu Feng twitched his lips and retorted unwillingly, "This is a legitimate Martial Skill. How is it insulting?"
"Pinching, squeezing, grabbing, caressing, blowing, biting, occasionally hugging, and intermittently rolling around with someone—you call this a legitimate Martial Skill? Do you think anyone would believe that if you told them?"
At this, Gu Feng was left speechless. He glanced sideways at Chu Youhuan, whom he was still swinging around wildly. At this moment, she was gritting her teeth, her eyes blazing with anger, her body covered in claw marks, finger prints, and palm prints. What was worse was that many of these marks were in sensitive areas.
Fortunately, this time Chu Youhuan had come prepared. Her robe was a Superior-grade Spiritual Weapon, so the situation wasn't as embarrassing as last time.
Gu Feng's heart stirred, and he whispered, "Senior Sister Chu, do you believe me when I say I'm really not being a pervert?"
This question only made Chu Youhuan even angrier. You bastard, you've already done all this, and you still claim you're not being a pervert? If this doesn't count as being a pervert, does it only count if we end up in bed? This scoundrel, this jerk, this villain!
The more Chu Youhuan thought about it, the angrier she became. Gu Feng's attitude was like a button that directly unleashed the primordial power within her.
A loud cry echoed, accompanied by the phantom of a dark blue bird. A mysterious aura filled the air, and a powerful pressure descended out of nowhere.
A sense of crisis immediately followed. Gu Feng felt his entire body turn cold, his hair standing on end. Without hesitation, he threw Chu Youhuan away.
Chu Youhuan performed a graceful flip in the air, her feet lightly tapping the wall before she landed gently on the ground.
Gu Feng noticed that since the appearance of the dark blue bird phantom, Chu Youhuan's aura had changed. It was as if she was now clad in a sacred battle armor.
She looked pure and flawless, exuding an overwhelming presence. Even the Spiritual Power emanating from her body had become as sharp as a sword.
A whirlwind of Spiritual Power swept through the training room, and Gu Feng's face stung from the force.
Is this the power of the Spirit Nurturing Realm? It's simply worlds apart from the peak of the Innate Realm. This difference is all-encompassing, not just in terms of realm, but also in the quality and intensity of Spiritual Power, and even physical constitution has undergone a complete evolution.
Chu Youhuan walked forward with steady steps, and in that instant, Gu Feng felt a slight illusion, as if the person approaching him wasn't a cultivator, but a Goddess descending from the heavens.
Her demeanor was elegant, her figure graceful, and her beauty breathtaking.
As Chu Youhuan advanced, the pressure on Gu Feng grew increasingly intense. He had to exert all his strength just to steady his mind.
"It's over. Once Chu Youhuan unleashes her full power, Gu Feng will be defeated in a single strike."
"Gu Feng's performance has already surpassed that of an ordinary peak Innate Realm cultivator. We can't ask for more."
"..."
Gu Feng's previous performance could be described as nothing short of extraordinary. To go toe-to-toe with a Spirit Nurturing Realm cultivator while still in the Innate Realm, and even gain a slight upper hand—no one in the entire Swamp Zone could achieve that except him.
He was strong, so strong that it was awe-inspiring, pushing Chu Youhuan to her limits.
Even so, the moment he forced the Azure Coral Crimson Extinction Finch's shadow out of Chu Youhuan's consciousness, the battle reached its final conclusion.
There were no losers in this battle, and it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Gu Feng had won.
"I know you haven't used your full strength, but the ultimate victor will still be me!" Chu Youhuan's confident voice rang out, leaving everyone in shock once again.
Gu Feng hadn't used his full strength? Was that even possible?
However, at this point in the battle, none of that mattered. Whether Gu Feng still had any trump cards would be revealed in the next few breaths.
"You guessed it. Shall we decide the outcome with one strike?" Gu Feng stretched his body and spoke casually.
"One strike to decide the outcome, exactly 99 moves!" Chu Youhuan nodded. With her current strength, even she was amazed. How could Gu Feng possibly win?
"Let me ask again, will you cry if you lose?" Gu Feng chuckled lightly. Seeing Chu Youhuan's expression darken with anger, he quickly added, "Just kidding."
In the next moment, Gu Feng's smile faded, and his expression turned solemn.
"Twenty-Four Bridges Under the Moonlit Night!"
"Bright Moon Nether Visualization Art!"
Two supreme Cultivation Methods from Zhu Qingyan of the Great Ming Dynasty were activated at full power.
One after another, white jade bridges flashed across his brow, and a storm of souls erupted from his mind.
Chu Youhuan felt the immense pressure of that soul force, her eyes sharpening and her expression turning grave.
Jiu—
A piercing cry of a bird tore through the sky, as if it had flown in from beyond the heavens. Chu Youhuan's figure floated in the air, her smooth black hair flowing like water, so beautiful it was mesmerizing.
Her lips parted slightly.
"Fall—"
Boom!!!
The entire cultivation chamber began to tremble violently, the runes on its surface flickering like faulty lights.
"Well done!" Gu Feng laughed heartily.
"Asura!!!"
Hummm
Wuwuwu—
A dark aura erupted, and the shadow of an Asura burst forth from Gu Feng's brow. It exuded a murderous aura, its pupils as unfathomable as an abyss, and the demonic sword in its hand radiated a fearsome presence, standing tall behind Gu Feng.
The cultivation chamber was now divided into a bizarre scene—one half a deep blue, the other a dark abyss. Though the colors were similar, they were distinctly separate.
The two colors intertwined, vying for dominance.
The sound of explosions filled the air, one after another.
And at a certain moment, a massive explosion occurred!
Boom—
A shocking explosion generated a powerful shockwave, causing the Runes around the cultivation chamber to burst one after another.
Even the projection was shaking violently, the image flickering in and out, somewhat blurry, before finally turning into static. All that could be heard was the rumbling noise.
For a moment, it was impossible to tell who had won!
After a long while, a voice filled with disbelief rang out: "You... won!"
"Wow—"
The entire crowd gasped in astonishment. Chu Youhuan had actually conceded defeat.
Gu Feng had defeated someone in the Spirit Nurturing Realm!
Before everyone could fully process what had happened, another voice sounded, still from Chu Youhuan.
"Wuwuwu... I can give you the Storage Ring, but can you please not take away my shares... I'm already poor enough..."
"Didn't we agree not to cry like this? Here you go again?" Gu Feng's exasperated voice followed.
"Last time it was fake crying, this time it's real..." Chu Youhuan's sobbing voice came right after.
(End of the Chapter)
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