From the fake emperor to the concubine

"This kid is really terrifying."

To have reached this level of skill today solely through one's own cultivation and inheritance, without any instruction from anyone.

Zhuo Liqun's own qualifications are already quite remarkable.

He had seen those legendary cultivators with exceptional talent before.

In Zhuo Liqun's eyes, most so-called geniuses are nothing more than mediocre people.

Although he never said it aloud, Zhuo Liqun always felt that his talent was among the best in the world.

The reason why my progress has been slow in recent decades is that the inheritance I have received is not complete enough, which has prevented me from cultivating well.

Furthermore, as a rogue cultivator, he often had to travel around for cultivation resources, thus wasting a lot of cultivation time.

That's why he had the idea of ​​joining such a large family as the Zheng family.

Only now, after truly witnessing Zhang Yunfan's talent, has Zhuo Liqun finally realized how ridiculous he had been before.

His talent and aptitude are nothing compared to Zhang Yunfan's.

What he himself had to risk his life to comprehend, this kid only needed to glance at at once.

This alone is already quite terrifying.

But this kid is not only good at that. After learning it, he can not only use it immediately, but also quickly learn to apply it to other situations and make further progress.

For a fleeting moment, Zhuo Liqun's resolve wavered.

Compared to such a genius, my so-called achievements are simply insignificant.

Even if Zhang Yunfan's current cultivation level is not as high as his, he will eventually soar to great heights.

It was precisely because of the wavering of his Dao heart that his moves naturally changed as well.

The original, unstoppable, thoughtless strike of martial arts intent suddenly lost its power.

Zhuo Liqun, who was already at a disadvantage, suddenly found himself in an even more precarious situation.

Almost in the blink of an eye, the attacking style shifted to a passive defense.

Zhang Yunfan had completely suppressed their momentum, making victory virtually impossible. Unless he went back on his word and directly used his Foundation Establishment cultivation.

The difference is a whole realm; no matter how strong Zhang Yunfan's current aura is, it's nothing but a mirage.

However, if he were to back out, he wouldn't be Zhuo Liqun.

Once he did something that went against his own principles, it would inevitably become an inescapable inner demon. From then on, his cultivation would be unable to improve any further.

The situation between the two changed too quickly.

It wasn't until Zhang Yunfan launched four or five attacks that the onlookers realized what had happened.

"Wait... am I seeing things?"

"Bro, you slapped me. I feel like I'm still half asleep."

"A mere Qi Refining stage kid is actually able to overpower a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator? Are you kidding me?"

"I must be under an illusion, otherwise how could I see such a ridiculous thing?"

Let alone those cultivators whose cultivation level wasn't high enough and who didn't fully understand the details of the battle.

Even those powerful experts who could see all the changes on both sides clearly changed their expressions.

Moreover, the shock they felt was even more intense than that of those who were unaware of the situation.

Because of their strength, they were even more aware of the enormous gap between cultivators in the Qi Refining stage and those in the Foundation Establishment stage.

Even though Zhuo Liqun suppressed his cultivation and did not use the power of the Foundation Establishment stage.

But his level of understanding will not change because of this.

Let alone one or two Qi Refining stage cultivators, even if there were three, five, seven or eight of them, they would definitely not be a match for a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator whose cultivation level has been suppressed.

But now...

"This Zhang Yunfan is truly terrifying."

"Fortunately, this kid has a physical problem, and it seems difficult for him to improve his cultivation level. Otherwise, I can't even imagine how strong he would be now."

"The saying goes that heaven is jealous of talent. This kid is probably suffering from the backlash of heaven because he is too talented, and he is unable to cultivate properly."

"That's right. Everything has a cause and an effect. Sometimes, being too talented isn't necessarily a good thing."

Whether they were strong or weak, everyone was quietly discussing the current situation.

Zhang Yunfan was completely oblivious to all of this; at that moment, all he could see was his opponent.

Apart from that, there wasn't even a hint of joy or sorrow.

At this moment, he was lost in a profound and mysterious state of mind.

They couldn't even see their opponents; they only saw the moves.

The spiritual energy emanating from the seal within the body is partially absorbed with each cycle of circulation through the meridians, as if it has been refined through countless trials.

Although each absorption is only a tiny bit, like a drop in the ocean.

But this is the feeling of improvement every moment, instead of the feeling of being completely stagnant no matter how hard he tried, as before.

This made Zhang Yunfan extremely excited.

He attacked desperately, frantically circulating his spiritual energy, constantly praying in his mind that this state could last a little longer.

In fact, Zhang Yunfan is already showing signs of becoming obsessed.

No one knows better than himself how many crises and pains he has experienced that are unimaginable to ordinary people because of this broken seal.

"This kid, I hope you don't get completely involved." Zheng Yi had already noticed something was wrong, but he didn't stop him.

The path of cultivation is long and dangerous; even the most insignificant cultivator must overcome countless difficulties.

Most of these challenges must be overcome through one's own efforts.

If one becomes dependent on external forces, the path of spiritual practice will come to an end.

At least, although Zhang Yunfan's current situation is somewhat dangerous, it is not life-threatening.

At least getting through this difficult time will definitely help him grow mentally.

"This guy was fine just now, what's wrong with him now?" Wei Siling clenched her fists nervously, not even noticing that her nails were piercing her skin.

Everything that's happening today has changed too much and too fast.

This caused her emotions to fluctuate constantly; one moment she worried that she would be implicated by Zhang Yunfan, and the next she worried that this guy wouldn't be able to win.

Although it turned out that she was overthinking things, now that Zhang Yunfan is in this state, she is starting to worry that he is being blinded by something.

She was extremely nervous, while many experts around her secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

"His aptitude and talent are good, but his mental state still needs further refinement."

"He just performed a little better and got obsessed with it. After all, he's still young and needs more practice."

Zhang Yunfan's terrifying talent had already stirred up the deepest fears in many people's hearts.

However, when they discovered that Zhang Yunfan's mental state had deteriorated so easily, many people breathed a sigh of relief.

Even at the Qi Refining stage, there's already a risk of demonic possession; as cultivation levels rise, this will only become more frequent. Although advancement in cultivation also tempers one's mental state.

However, it is easier to change mountains and rivers than to change one's nature; it is very difficult to truly change a person's character.

If one's mental state is so unstable during the Qi Refining stage, it certainly won't improve much in the future.

Such a cultivator, no matter how talented, is destined not to go very far.

Zhuo Liqun wasn't without temper either. He had been suppressed by Zhang Yunfan, whose strength was far inferior to his own, and he gradually became angry.

His anger was not directed at Zhang Yunfan, but at himself.

His resolve wavered simply because he discovered that the other person's talent far surpassed his own.

All my years of cultivation have been for naught.

Seeing Zhang Yunfan's greatsword slash down, carrying the true essence of his martial arts of striking without thought.

Zhuo Liqun suppressed his fear, gritted his teeth, picked up his halberd, and thrust it directly at Zhang Yunfan's chest without dodging or avoiding.

He completely disregarded the greatsword that threatened his life, and was willing to attack even at the cost of mutual destruction.

After being suppressed by Zhang Yunfan for dozens of moves, Zhuo Liqun launched his first counterattack.

The moment the halberd was swung, the familiarity he had cultivated over hundreds of thousands of times immediately returned.

This was a move he created, even though Zhang Yunfan's understanding of the true meaning of the Wunian Yishi martial arts was already superior to his.

However, the control gained through daily practice cannot be grasped in a single moment of enlightenment.

The two men's weapons clashed, sparks flying as they were so close together.

No one retreated or hesitated, as if they were not just close friends who had been drinking and laughing together, but enemies with an irreconcilable blood feud.

Seeing this, many people secretly rejoiced.

If the two of them could fight to the death and both perish, many of them would probably wake up laughing in their sleep.

Zhang Yunfan goes without saying; his talent makes many cultivators so envious and jealous that their eyes turn red with envy.

If they could, they would absolutely not hesitate to use the most vicious and dirty means to dig out his talent and put it on their own.

As for Zhuo Liqun... many of these people actually have direct or indirect grudges against him.

However, even Zhuo Liqun himself probably doesn't know this.

It seemed that Zhang Yunfan and Zhuo Liqun were about to die at each other's hands in the next moment.

The two of them simultaneously and subtly changed their attack angles.

The two weapons, sparks flying, collided, and the immense force sent both of them flying away.

Zhuo Liqun took a small step back, while Zhang Yunfan flew several feet away.

He forcefully planted his greatsword in the ground, barely managing to stop himself.

High judgment.

After all, there is a gap in their levels of understanding, even though Zhang Yunfan's understanding of the true meaning of the "No Thought Strike" martial arts has surpassed that of Zhuo Liqun.

However, when it comes to a head-to-head competition, the gap becomes immediately apparent.

"Pfft!" Zhang Yunfan had just stopped when he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

After spitting out the blood, Zhang Yunfan's complexion looked noticeably better.

Seeing his condition, many people showed expressions of disappointment.

I had hoped that these two guys would both be seriously injured, but they were injured, though not very badly.

Some people cursed inwardly, "Zhuo Liqun is such a waste. He can't even handle a mere Qi Refining stage novice."

"Such a big reputation, and this is all they've got? It's really disappointing."

Zhang Yunfan, held in his hand, was rapidly healing his injuries under the nourishment of the spiritual energy flowing from the seal within his body.

Because Zhuo Liqun showed mercy, his injuries were already quite minor. He only needed to quickly circulate his internal energy once to recover to about 70-80%.

Furthermore, he could clearly feel that his meridians were even more resilient than before after the injury.

"Thank you, senior!"

In the sea of ​​consciousness, Zhang Yunfan was so excited he almost jumped up.

He hadn't experienced such visible growth in a long time.

With Zheng Yi's help, he once again experienced the feeling that cultivation could lead to growth and gains.

He improved more in just one cycle of his cultivation than he had in the last six months combined.

"What did you say?" Zheng Yi's voice was icy cold, his displeasure evident.

Zhang Yunfan immediately realized what was happening and quickly corrected himself, saying, "Thank you, Master."

Zheng Yi nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it. If you call me by the wrong name again, I'll teach you a lesson."

Bang!
Zhuo Liqun slammed his halberd heavily onto the ground.

Zhang Yunfan didn't dare to be careless and immediately adopted a defensive stance.

Through the exchange just now, he clearly felt that Zhuo Liqun had adjusted his state and what followed would definitely be a storm of attacks.

Just as he was on high alert, Zhuo Liqun suddenly laughed and said, "Young brother, I have lost this time. I can sense that if I had suppressed my cultivation to the same level as you, I would have had no chance of winning."

"So, it's not that I don't want revenge, but that I simply don't have the ability."

As he spoke, he instantly withdrew his halberd from his spatial storage to demonstrate his stance.

……

For a moment, everyone was a little confused.

what's the situation?
They just say they're not going to fight anymore, and they're not even going to avenge their own brother?

These are all secondary issues. The most important thing is that you, Zhuo Liqun, are a master in the Foundation Establishment stage. Even if you don't say you are famous throughout the world, you are not an ordinary person.

Now, in front of so many people, you're so quick to admit that you're inferior to a Qi Refining stage cultivator?
Do you even care about your reputation?

Even if you suppress your cultivation to the Qi Refining stage, the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator's realm is still there.

Besides, by admitting defeat so readily, even if you lose face yourself, you've also completely disgraced the rest of us Foundation Establishment cultivators!

"Huh?" Not to mention them, even Zhang Yunfan was completely confused.

Although he had long felt that things would develop this way.

Because if it were him, he would make the same choice as Zhuo Liqun.

However, Zhuo Liqun admitted defeat to him, a Qi Refining stage cultivator, in front of so many people without any burden, which was something he really didn't expect.

For a moment, everyone was stunned.

Even the well-informed Zheng Yi was momentarily stunned.

He had never even met someone with such a temperament and personality. (End of Chapter)