Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Senior Sister Wu, weren't you going down the mountain to cause trouble for that kid?"
"Why did you end up bringing him back?"
In a small courtyard, with rockeries and a stone table surrounded by several figures in varying attire, a man in brown martial arts clothes spoke. His physique was massive, like a giant bear.
In his thirties, with a tall nose, a square face, and thick eyebrows, he was even taller than Wu Shuang, who was standing.
Around him were two men and one woman, all wearing traditional robes, with powerful auras, clearly true disciples.
"Senior Brother Zhao, I went down the mountain for the sake of the sect's business, don't speak nonsense."
"Besides, this junior has good talent. Naturally, I should bring him back to the sect."
Wu Shuang replied with a feigned displeasure.
Senior Brother Zhao widened his eyes, raised his hand to point at her, and said, "Senior Sister Wu, you're being unreasonable!"
"You're taking advantage of the fact that I didn't record it."
"Senior Brother Zhao!"
Wu Shuang interrupted him lightly, her tone drifting, "Do you remember who broke the sect leader's magnolia pot?"
"Uh..."
Senior Brother Zhao froze for a moment, his eyes darting, and quickly said, "How would I know?"
"Well, thanks for reminding me, it seems I did remember wrong."
The two exchanged words, while the others remained silent, used to this dynamic.
It was well known that Wu Shuang and Senior Brother Zhao were close.
"Senior Sister Wu, the person you brought back, isn't this the one Cao Tong recommended back then?"
"I heard he opened his martial path and broke through to Tiger's Roar after only a month of practice?"
A skinny man asked. He wore a deep gray robe, around forty, with two small mustaches.
"Yes, Third Senior Brother, he just broke through recently."
Wu Shuang nodded slightly, confirming the truth of her statement.
"Really? That's impressive."
"But unfortunately, starting martial arts too late, this time's competition..."
His sentence was left unfinished, but everyone understood the meaning.
Wu Shuang didn't argue. After all, this was her intention.
Among these senior brothers and sisters, almost everyone had a disciple they had recommended or brought back. This conversation was also a kind of probing.
"Speaking of which, it's actually Second Senior Brother and Fourth Senior Sister's disciples who have the best chance."
Third Senior Brother's tone shifted, and he soon turned his attention to the other two figures in the room: a man in white and a woman in a red skirt.
The man was in his forties but appeared to be in his early thirties, with short black hair and a healthy complexion, clearly possessing deep martial arts strength.
As for the woman, she was plump, wearing a pale red ancient dress, with a phoenix-chased collar.
"Don't try to probe me, Third Senior Brother."
The red-skirted woman shook her head, "My disciple has innate divine strength, but unfortunately, her real martial arts aren't complete yet, she's still lacking a bit."
"But Second Senior Brother's disciple... hehe, if you ask me, there's no need for the competition."
At this, the atmosphere shifted, and everyone's expressions subtly changed, even Wu Shuang did not expect this development.
They all knew the red-skirted woman's competitive nature; she was not one to easily admit defeat.
"Second Senior Brother, is the disciple you brought back already in the 'Entry Strength' stage?"
---
"I'm Feng Xue, and this is Lu Ming."
In a spacious meditation room several hundred meters away, Chen Feng walked in.
Inside, there were already eight or nine people, all wearing gray robes.
The two closest to him, the man and the woman, were the ones who had knocked on his door and brought him here.
The woman appeared to be in her early twenties, tall and slender, about 1.7 meters, with her long hair tied into a ponytail and a light makeup on her face.
The man was around the same age as Chen Feng, with messy long hair and a somewhat lean but handsome frame, a black mole on his left cheek.
"We're also competing tomorrow, so we're just sitting here to get to know each other."
"I see you came with True Disciple Wu. Your name is Chen Feng, right?"
Feng Xue asked with fake curiosity, and Chen Feng nodded lightly.
"I've heard of you."
Next to her, Lu Ming smiled and added, "You broke through Bone Training in less than a month of practicing martial arts, that's impressive."
Their words revealed that they were well-informed, but Chen Feng didn't mind.
After a quick scan with his senses, he noticed that their auras were very ordinary, likely on par with Wu Tian's, just beginning to practice Bone Training, at best at the second or third professional level.
As for the others, most were similar, with the strongest being full Bone Training, around the fifth or sixth professional level.
"Don't bother looking, Jiang Hu and Xu Tingxiao haven't arrived yet."
Misunderstanding that Chen Feng was looking for them, Feng Xue shook her head and reminded him.
Chen Feng raised his eyebrows. On the way here, Cao Tong had mentioned that his strongest competitors in the personal disciple competition were Jiang Hu, who had innate divine strength and whose raw power was on par with his, and Xu Tingxiao, who was close to breaking into the 'Entry Strength' stage.
"Alright, the three of you stop standing there and come sit down."
Someone spoke, and Feng Xue and Lu Ming pulled Chen Feng into a circle around the meditation room.
Soon, the conversation shifted.
"Tomorrow is the personal disciple competition. You all should know the rules, it's a free-for-all."
"I won't say too much, don't mind if I'm blunt."
"Our strength is far behind Jiang Hu and Xu Tingxiao. If we follow normal methods, we definitely can't win."
The one speaking was a fatty. As soon as he finished, the atmosphere turned heavy, and the faces of everyone, including Feng Xue, turned grim.
But they all knew their own situation, so no one argued.
"So, what are you suggesting?"
"Yeah, you didn't bring us all here just to say that, did you?"
Someone asked impatiently, and the fatty raised his hand to calm them down before nodding.
"Yes, I called you all together to discuss a strategy."
"It's simple. Tomorrow, we should team up to take out Jiang Hu and Xu Tingxiao."
"Only by eliminating them first will we have a chance. After that, everyone can do as they wish."
The straightforward plan was met with nods from many.
As long as they hadn't reached the 'Entry Strength' stage, their gap wasn't insurmountable.
If they all attacked Jiang Hu and Xu Tingxiao together, they might have some hope. It was definitely better than fighting alone.
"Let's make a decision. Those who agree, raise your hands."
The speaker asked, and the group nodded in agreement.
But soon, several people frowned as they looked at Chen Feng, who was sitting at the farthest side.
"Hmm?"
Feng Xue and Lu Ming were also a bit surprised and looked at him. Chen Feng remained calm, sitting still and not raising his hand.
"Quickly raise your hand." Feng Xue urged softly, but Chen Feng remained expressionless.
"This friend, what's going on?" The fatty frowned and asked, and the group's impatient gazes turned to him.
Lu Ming, sitting at the edge, knew it wasn't directed at him, but still felt uncomfortable.
"I refuse."
Chen Feng shook his head, stood up, and left the room.
Everyone thought he had something to do, but what they didn't expect...
Was that he simply found it boring.
With calm steps, he walked out of the meditation room.
"This guy..."
Feng Xue and Lu Ming furrowed their brows, and the others secretly shook their heads.
Such arrogance.
Having pride isn't scary, but not recognizing reality is truly pitiful.
"Well, one less person, no big deal."
"He probably just started Bone Training."
The fatty spoke again, and the group didn't pay much attention, quickly returning to their discussion on how to deal with Jiang Hu and Xu Tingxiao.
Meanwhile, Chen Feng was unaware, since he wasn't using his senses to eavesdrop.
"Only the weak attack in groups."
"The strong always walk alone."
With no expression on his face, he returned to his room.
That was his personality. He genuinely despised ganging up on one person.
Victory, if it comes, must be won honorably!
He pushed aside any distractions.
Since they weren't formal disciples, they weren't allowed to move freely in the sect.
After the sect members brought their meals, Chen Feng ate, tidied up, and then glanced outside the window at the darkening sky. He took off his shoes and socks and soon lay down in bed.
He was just four limit-breaking light orbs away from an advancement, which would allow him to further improve his Giant Tiger Technique.
So tonight, success was a must!
With his resolve set, the lights went off.
Soon, he quietly fell asleep.
"This guy, how bold, sleeping so early."
"One would think he's here on vacation."
Outside the room, Feng Xue, Lu Ming, and the others all saw the light in the room turn off through the gap in the door.
They had originally planned to persuade him a little more, but upon seeing this, they lost their motivation and shook their heads as they left.
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Chen Feng stood in a room, the floor scattered with debris, black and silver mixed together.
[Steel Bones LV1: 1/100]
"So it really doesn't work," Chen Feng muttered, shaking his head secretly as he looked at the progress of his talent on the panel.
He had searched for many metals in the dream, such as burglar-proof doors, appliances, and so on.
But unfortunately, the effect was weak, and the growth of the Steel Bones talent was practically nonexistent.
This indirectly confirmed his thought: to level up the talent, the quality of the metal was very important.
Ordinary steel had too little effect.
"Metal..."
"Where can I find high-quality gold in this dream?"
Hmm?
His eyes moved, and Chen Feng opened his black backpack, pulling out two items.
One was a copper-colored, broken copper plate that recorded information about black disaster creatures—there were two pieces.
The other was the inheritance iron book, which he had obtained from two branches of the Extreme Martial Arts Hall. It was also damaged, but about the size of a palm.
"Does this count as metal?"
Chen Feng thought for a moment, intending to try.
He had tried these items before, and even with all his strength, he couldn't damage them in the slightest.
The materials seemed to be some kind of advanced metal.
As for the content recorded on them, it wasn't much. He had already memorized it, so there was no concern about it shattering after absorbing the essence.
The benefit of having a strong will was now evident; his memory was sharp too.
"Forget it, I'll write it down, just in case."
After thinking for a moment, he quickly went to find several apartment buildings and eventually found two notebooks and a black pen with some ink left.
The sound of scribbling as he wrote the content of the copper plate and the inheritance iron book continued.
After confirming everything was correct, he picked up the broken copper plate and tried it first.
Talent activated!
One second, two seconds...
A minute later.
"Why isn't it working?"
Chen Feng frowned. He didn't feel any essence of metal from the copper plate, nor any other abnormality.
Puzzled, he wasn't sure if it was because this wasn't metal or if the material of the copper plate was too high-grade, even protected by other forces, preventing absorption.
"Forget it."
If it doesn't work, it doesn't work. Chen Feng could only reluctantly put it down and pick up the broken inheritance iron book.
He pressed his palm tightly against it and activated his talent again!
One second, two seconds, three seconds...
Buzz!
After more than ten seconds, a strand of metal essence appeared, rushing into his body, passing through his skin, and being quickly absorbed by his bones.
A prompt appeared in front of him.
[Metal Essence +1!]
[Metal Essence +1!]
[Metal Essence +1!]
"It works!"
Chen Feng's eyes lit up, and in no time, just a few seconds passed.
Crack!
A loud sound, and the inheritance iron book cracked.
Then, one, two, three cracks...
The cracks spread like a spider web, and the iron book instantly turned into gray powder, scattering all around.
"Next."
Chen Feng wasn't bothered. He picked up the last piece.
[Metal Essence +1!]
[Metal Essence +1!]
Crack!
The second inheritance iron book shattered into dust, and the progress of his Steel Bones talent finally changed.
[Steel Bones LV1: 20/100]
"Nice!"
Chen Feng nodded in satisfaction.
"Looks like the inheritance iron book is indeed made of some kind of advanced metal."
"It was just two pieces the size of a palm, and they were already damaged by some kind of force, so they were incomplete."
His eyes gleamed, and he suddenly felt that the Extreme Martial Arts Hall in the dream world was truly a treasure.
Not only did it have the potential to break limits and skills, but it also provided nourishment for the growth of his Steel Bones talent.
Thinking of this, he quickly packed up the notebook with the recorded content and put it back in his black bag, preparing to head towards the southeast branch.
Boom!!
Suddenly, as he was about to leave the room, a rumbling sound rang out.
The ground shook, and the fog in the north began to churn, as if some giant creature was walking through it.
Chen Feng's gaze sharpened, and an inexplicable sense of danger rose in his heart.
Without thinking, he immediately stopped in his tracks and stood in the corner by the window, vigilantly watching.
Boom!
The ground shook again, the house trembled, and the glass rattled.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The sounds were slow but continuous, and soon, in his line of sight.
On the wide asphalt road, illuminated by streetlights on both sides.
A towering, five or six-meter-tall violent bear walked out of the fog-covered area, moving in a straight line.
Its fur was black, and its eyes were pitch-black.
Boom!
The giant bear's paw slammed down with a dull sound, shaking everything around it.
The chandeliers in the apartment buildings swayed, and the white water in cups rippled.
Boom!
Chen Feng's pupils contracted, and the sense of danger in his perception grew stronger.
This violent bear creature felt more terrifying than the Third Elder.
Furthermore, he clearly saw several black poison bees flying above the bear's head, constantly buzzing, seemingly guiding it.
"Here for revenge?"
Suddenly, it clicked in Chen Feng's mind. He quickly withdrew his gaze and focused on using his senses to remain alert to the surroundings.
Soon, the muffled booming sounds continued, gradually moving away from his current location.
Finally, when the sounds faded, he looked again.
The direction the violent bear was heading seemed to align with where he had killed the Toxic Queen Bee the previous day.
His intuition was stronger now, and he quickly left the area, intending to distance himself as much as possible.
However, just as he was about to leave the apartment building...
Buzz!!
The sound of wings flapping rang out, and Chen Feng's face stiffened.
Focusing on the sound, he could see a black poison bee swaying toward him, just coming from where the giant bear had passed.
In an instant, it seemed to sense something.
The lone black poison bee tilted its head, and Chen Feng stood still, locking eyes with it for a brief moment.
Buzz!
The black poison bee immediately recognized him, hurriedly flapping its wings while emitting some strange sound.
Chen Feng's face darkened. He immediately crouched, stomped the ground, and leaped into the air, delivering a punch that exploded the bee.
"Roar!!!"
A massive roar suddenly echoed from the distant darkness, the soundwaves violent and sweeping across the heavens.
The streetlights around him swayed, and the withered trees were pulled to and fro, as if they were about to collapse.
Not daring to delay, Chen Feng knew that the violent bear had already sensed him.
He immediately activated his Azure Armor form, exerting all his strength as he ran at full speed.
"Damned black poison bee... Why is it alone?"
Chen Feng thought as the buildings sped by, unsure of how far he had run.
Finally, when he felt that nothing unusual had happened behind him, and his physical and mental energy had clearly been drained by more than half...
He deactivated his Azure Armor and found a house to hide and rest.
After waiting for more than ten minutes.
Boom boom!
The heavy footsteps of the giant bear creature and the black poison bee swarm appeared again, now in his line of sight, hundreds of meters away.
"Bear-type creatures have a strong sense of smell. I wonder if it will find me."
Chen Feng thought to himself, but he noticed that when the bear had passed by him earlier, it hadn't detected him.
Boom!
Finally, the giant bear stopped a little more than a hundred meters away from him.
"Roar!!!"
The roar resounded again, shaking the windows of nearby buildings. Soon, cracks started to form.
Boom!
The glass shattered, scattering debris.
Chen Feng held his breath, feeling his eardrums vibrating, his blood surging, and his chest feeling heavy.
Finally, the roar subsided.
The giant bear stood still, but the black poison bees above its head dispersed, flying into nearby houses to search.
With a grave expression, Chen Feng glanced at the room he was hiding in.
It was a bedroom, with a wardrobe and a wooden bed.
He could now determine that the violent bear had some ability to sense his general location within a certain range.
After a moment of consideration, he looked at the wardrobe.
These ordinary black poison bees had no remarkable sensing abilities, other than their sting attacks.
This was something he had observed during their previous encounters and was also mentioned in the copper plate's records.
With this in mind, he moved quietly and hid inside the wardrobe, gently closing the door.
Soon, the buzzing sound appeared.
A black poison bee flew in through the broken window.
(End of the Chapter)
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Translated (4) Series, (1.8K+) Chapters, (2.25M+) Words.