Translator: Cinder Translations
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That day, a bus drove into Jinhua District and stopped at the station.
The bus became crowded again as a tall figure slowly stepped off, causing people to make way.
Tap tap!
With steady steps, Chen Feng remained expressionless as he headed straight for the martial arts hall.
"You're here," Lin Hao said, having just parked his car downstairs. He slung a baseball bag over his shoulder.
"You're early today."
"Just lucky, no traffic."
Chen Feng briefly responded, and Lin Hao nodded. They then went up to the second floor together.
Thinking about the matter of the personal disciple, Chen Feng told Lin Hao, "After today, I won't be able to come to the club for a few days."
"Just message me if you need anything."
"Alright, you go ahead, and try to succeed as soon as possible."
Lin Hao smiled and nodded in reply. Before long, they each went into their respective practice room.
By the time it was almost 9:00 AM, when Chen Feng entered the room, the wooden tub was already filled with warm water.
"Senior Brother Chen."
The staff at the martial arts hall greeted him respectfully, and Chen Feng nodded in acknowledgment.
After they left, he took out the final Body Refining Powder and poured it into the water.
Soon, everything was ready. He stripped off his clothes and jumped into the tub, sitting cross-legged.
Gradually, the medicinal bath enveloped his body, and the warm flow entered him, being absorbed by his skin, muscles, and bones.
An hour later.
The progress of the Giant Tiger Technique increased, and the panel displayed the latest data.
[Giant Tiger Technique: Giant Tiger (51%) +]
"As expected, it's just as I predicted."
Chen Feng glanced at the progress on the panel and lightly shook his head.
Just as he was about to leave the tub, a calm set of footsteps sounded outside the quiet room.
Thud thud!
"Junior Brother Chen."
"Done with your medicinal bath?"
The footsteps stopped at the door, and Cao Tong's voice followed with a knock.
"Brother Cao?" Chen Feng was a bit surprised.
After a brief exchange, Cao Tong opened the quiet room door and walked in.
However, unlike the usual coach's outfit, today Cao Tong was dressed in a loose green robe, wearing cloth shoes, looking somewhat like an ancient figure.
At the same time, he carried a simple gray ancient robe and a pair of black cloth shoes with new white socks inside.
"Brother Cao, what's this for?"
"For you," Cao Tong replied seriously, and Chen Feng understood his intention.
Yesterday, Cao Tong had mentioned they would go to the martial arts sect's mountain gate in the afternoon.
The reason was that tomorrow was the personal disciple competition, so they had to go up the mountain to stay a day in advance, just in case.
Chen Feng guessed that perhaps this overnight stay was also a form of assessment.
"There are rules inside the sect; whenever a disciple returns to the mountain, they must wear the ancient robe."
"Since you haven't officially become a disciple yet, this simple robe is the best we can do."
While speaking, Chen Feng looked at Cao Tong's robe.
The sleeves had silver thread stitching, and the robe was mostly green with a tiger character outlined in white thread on the back, giving off a somewhat solemn aura.
This must be the style for core disciples.
"Alright."
Not hesitating, Chen Feng nodded in agreement.
"I'll step outside. Change and come out, we'll tidy up and head up the mountain together."
"Okay."
Chen Feng quickly got out of the tub, dried off, and changed into the robe.
The gray robe and black cloth shoes fit him well, clearly prepared with great care by Cao Tong.
However, since it was his first time wearing this ancient robe, he felt a little uncomfortable.
Only after a bit of adjustment did he get used to it.
Tap tap!
Finally, he stepped out, opened the quiet room door, and walked out.
Cao Tong had already been waiting outside and looked at him with a gleam in his eye.
"Not bad, Junior Brother Chen, you look quite handsome."
It wasn't flattery. Chen Feng had a strong, muscular build, and his upper body had a broad V-shape.
The ordinary gray ancient robe fit him perfectly, and his sharp features and slightly raised brows gave him a heroic air.
Without responding, Chen Feng didn't know what he looked like since there was no mirror.
The two of them went downstairs together and headed for the underground parking lot.
During the walk, Chen Feng took out his phone and sent a message to Chen Yun.
Buzz buzz!
[Chen Yun: Stay safe, smile.jpg]
[I'll wait for you to come back, so message me when you arrive.]
After reading the message, Chen Feng locked his phone and looked up.
A black Mercedes-Benz stopped in front of him.
The driver was a middle-aged man in casual clothes, and sitting in the backseat was a familiar figure.
She wore a white robe, and her long black hair was tied with a wooden hairpin, giving off a cold and frosty aura.
"Senior Sister Wu."
Cao Tong called out, and the figure nodded slightly.
"Get in."
After the door closed, Cao Tong arranged for Chen Feng to sit on the right side of the back seat, while he sat in the passenger seat.
"Don't overthink it. This time I'm going down the mountain to deal with the Serpent Spirit Sect, but I'm also bringing back the personal disciple seeds."
"After all, the Flame Tiger Sect has some enemies, so it's just precautionary."
Seeing Chen Feng's confusion, Wu Shuang explained from the back seat.
Chen Feng nodded in acknowledgment, and the driver quickly started the engine. The three of them slowly drove out of the parking lot and onto the paved road.
The car was quiet, and Cao Tong couldn't bear the silence, so he initiated a conversation.
"Senior Sister Wu, I heard from Luo Chong that the Serpent Spirit Sect issue is almost resolved?"
"Yeah."
Wu Shuang nodded lightly, and Chen Feng remained silent. Then he heard her continue, "Yesterday, I went to the scene with Luo Chong. The people from the United Coalition are quite strong. They killed one of the Divine Attendants."
"Another one was severely injured and fled, but with heavy distortions, they won't pose any threat."
Divine Attendant?
Chen Feng was intrigued. It was the first time he had heard this term.
He didn't fully understand the content of Wu Shuang's words, but he roughly understood half of it.
It seemed to be related to the action Cao Tong had mentioned earlier.
"The Evil God Sect worships an evil god and is willing to serve as its followers and attendants."
"The term 'Divine Attendant' refers to some of the leaders inside, at the weakest level, they are in the Strengthening stage, also known as the Master level."
"Last time, when Senior Sister Wu and the United Coalition destroyed a Serpent Spirit Sect hideout, she personally killed a Divine Attendant."
Noticing that Chen Feng might not understand, Cao Tong turned back to explain a bit more, mentioning some of the context.
Wu Shuang remained silent, and Chen Feng was deep in thought.
"We'll talk about the Serpent Spirit Sect later."
Suddenly, as Chen Feng was pondering, Wu Shuang spoke up, "Before we return to the mountain, I've already had someone seal off information about you."
"Most people in the sect only know that you've broken through to the Bone Refining stage, but they don't know you've reached the Giant Tiger level in the hard techniques."
"Though the advantage is small, it will be unexpected and could give you an extra edge."
The tone was calm, but Chen Feng was slightly surprised as he felt a hint of warmth.
Helping him conceal his strength, the effect was self-evident.
At least before the martial arts competition began, he wouldn't attract attention, and maybe he could avoid some targeted actions.
Of course, he actually didn't mind either way, but still thanked her.
"Thank you, Senior Sister Wu."
"Mm."
Wu Shuang nodded lightly, seeing that he had taken it to heart, and she too relaxed a little.
Offending someone wasn't scary, but offending a potential monstrous genius would come with a huge price.
So, no matter the outcome of the personal disciple competition, at least, between her and Chen Feng, there would be no grudges, and that was enough.
Vroom!
The car became quiet again, and the driver gradually increased the speed.
The black car with four people weaved between other vehicles, and the tall buildings and street views outside swiftly retreated.
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The stench of the sewer grates along the roadside wafted up, mingled with the damp and darkness.
"Flame Tiger Sect."
"United Coalition."
Amid the hateful murmurs, black snakes slithered towards a burly man in a black robe, half lying on the ground, licking his wounds.
Under the hood of the robe, a triangular face covered in black scales could be seen.
The eyes, once human, had turned into snake-like vertical pupils, and even his hands kept shifting between scales and skin.
He had been fleeing, evading the Sky Eye System's pursuit.
Heavily injured, it was easy for his divine power to go out of control and suffer a backlash from the mutation.
But unfortunately, those people still hadn't given up.
After finally absorbing some ordinary people's life essence, they had been discovered again and had to flee here.
Hiss!
Suddenly, as he felt a sense of despair, a hissing sound was heard.
A small brown snake appeared, slithering up his sleeve, and crawled to his ear.
The hissing sound continued, but his face suddenly froze, and he smiled.
"Hong Guang Group? Zhao Jianlong?"
"Hahaha! As expected, the Serpent Spirit blesses me, the heavens have not abandoned me!"
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The black car continued its smooth journey, leaving the bustling city center and entering a deep mountain.
Gradually, the tall buildings faded into the distance, replaced by rolling mountain ranges and dense forests.
Occasionally, simple black-tiled brick houses could be seen, with modestly dressed farmers working in the fields.
Chen Feng silently observed this scene. This was his first time seeing the rural mountain towns of Earth Star.
The atmosphere in the car was quiet, until finally, the vehicle slowed as it entered a flat area.
The scenery outside the window changed quietly, and a red-painted fence with traditional architectural style appeared.
"We're here, Senior Sister Wu."
The driver spoke, stopping the vehicle in front of a flat area.
Cao Tong got out of the car, and Chen Feng quickly followed.
The ground was paved with smooth gray stone bricks, and the eaves of intricately carved buildings extended back for hundreds or even thousands of meters.
The red-painted wooden gates were wide open, with three large golden words inscribed above them.
[Flame Tiger Sect]
"Let's go. This is the mountain gate of our martial arts sect."
Cao Tong spoke and led him into the building.
Wu Shuang parted ways with them, and the driver carried her luggage towards a separate courtyard.
Several young people wearing traditional robes appeared during this time, all wearing gray robes with tiger symbols. They treated Cao Tong with great respect.
"Those are just ordinary formal disciples."
"The core disciples wear the blue robes like mine. As for the true disciples, there's no rule, they can wear whatever they like."
Cao Tong explained as he led Chen Feng through corridors and past pavilions.
Since this was the sect's mountain gate, Chen Feng closed off his perception, so no skilled individuals could notice and detect him.
Tap!
Suddenly, his footsteps paused.
Noticing something unusual, Chen Feng followed Cao Tong and looked to the right.
A bamboo forest surrounded a small pond, where colorful goldfish were swimming.
A young man dressed in a gray-white robe stood by the pond, tossing fish food into the water, attracting the goldfish to gather.
"Junior Uncle."
Cao Tong greeted respectfully, and Chen Feng was momentarily stunned, soon seeing the young man turn towards them.
With somewhat handsome features, the young man was about 1.8 meters tall, with a slim build.
His temperament was cold, and his slanted eyes gave off an impression that he was not easy to approach.
"Mm, back from the mountain?"
"Yes."
The brief exchange ended quickly, and Chen Feng could feel he was being observed.
The deep, calm gaze made him realize that this person's aura was extremely strong, comparable to the Third Elder.
This person was above the "Entry Strength" level.
"This is our sect's most outstanding core disciple, Chen Feng."
"This time, he's here to participate in the personal disciple competition."
Cao Tong explained seriously, with an unprecedented respectful tone.
"Mm."
The Junior Uncle nodded lightly and then seemed to think of something, suddenly asking.
"Where's the Third Senior Brother?"
"The Third Elder said he needs to guard the medicinal herb storage and won't be returning to the mountain."
"Is that so?"
The Junior Uncle nodded lightly, then resumed feeding the fish.
Cao Tong, knowing the proper timing, took his leave with a respectful bow, then led Chen Feng away.
The sound of footsteps echoed quietly as they walked, while in the pond behind them, the water rippled as the fish fought for the food.
Noticing Chen Feng's surprise and confusion, Cao Tong lowered his voice and explained, "That's our Junior Uncle, Li Chenye. He is the sect master's disciple and our sect's only personal disciple at the moment."
"He, along with the sect master and the Third Elder, are the only ones in our sect who are above the Entry Strength level."
With this simple explanation, Chen Feng's confusion faded.
No wonder he felt such a strong aura.
Above Entry Strength...
Chen Feng narrowed his eyes, feeling an intense curiosity about this realm. He was soon led to a residence.
A separate wooden house within a courtyard.
Inside, there was a wooden bed, a wooden desk, cushions, and other furnishings, along with other core disciples living nearby.
There were eleven in total, all of whom were recommended to participate in the personal disciple competition, and they were all outstanding individuals.
"Junior Brother Chen, if you need anything, just message me."
Cao Tong gave a few instructions before leaving.
Chen Feng nodded and took out his phone, preparing to let Chen Yun know he had arrived safely.
But soon, someone knocked on the wooden door outside.
(End of the Chapter)
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