Both start in hell: but their talents are multiplied a hundredfold.

"Huh? You also have a 40-meter-long sword?" Shen Jue chuckled.

"Not bad, not bad."

"This is what martial arts should be called."

"The special effects are quite impressive."

"Whether you're strong or not is a matter of time, but whether you're handsome or not is a matter of a lifetime."

At the very center of that storm of sword energy was Shen Jue, who was shirtless!

Countless sword energies, like a swarm of snakes, slashed at Shen Jue's vital points from all directions!

Throat, chest, lower abdomen, back of neck!

Where the sword energy storm passed, it left behind countless white streaks in the air, accompanied by a constant hissing sound.

"Ding ding ding!"

A dense, thunderous clashing of metal exploded forth.

Sparks flew from Shen Jue's body, like a steel billet being forged on an anvil!

Each strike of the sword energy burst forth with a dazzling burst of sparks, illuminating his flawless, jade-like skin!

His long hair was whipped about by the wind from the sword, but he stood still without even blinking!

That storm of sword energy! It couldn't even cut a strand of Shen Jue's hair!

The martial arts school completely collapsed, its beams and pillars overturned, and dust billowed into the sky.

The sword wind gradually subsided.

Yu Huatian stood atop the ruins, sword in hand, his robes spotless, his amber eyes fixed intently on the center of the smoke and dust.

The dust has settled.

Shen Jue stood still, the ground three feet beneath his feet perfectly intact, creating an eerie contrast with the surrounding ruins.

He tilted his head, reached out to brush a speck of dust off his shoulder, and glanced down at his chest.

The sword energy storm left not even a trace.

"Not bad." Shen Jue looked up, a hint of interest appearing in his eyes for the first time.

"Although its power is somewhat weaker than Eunuch Cao's physical and mental cultivation."

"But the special effects are quite good."

"It's not up to the standard of a roadside stall."

Shen Jue grinned, his teeth gleaming white in the moonlight: "Anything else?"

"Are there any techniques that incorporate some artistic conception or something similar?"

"Or spiritual martial arts would also work."

"Because the innate realm holds no secrets in my eyes."

Shen Jue's internal energy is surging wildly! A tremendous surge!

With each of his breaths!

The internal energy, emitting a faint white light, solidified! It surged!

Before he could finish speaking...

Shen Jue's internal energy surged like a river bursting its banks, instantly reaching the Innate Realm!

That formidable barrier that trapped ninety percent of the world's martial artists was more fragile than paper in his eyes.

A faint white aura of internal energy burst forth from his body, like a bright moon falling into ruins.

Wherever the light passed, rubble was suspended in mid-air and broken wood was sent flying.

Shangguan Haitang's pupils suddenly contracted.

The folding fan in her hand fell to the ground with a "thud" once again.

"First? Innate?"

Qinglong was in even worse shape, staggering back three steps before his back slammed into the ruins to stop.

He had practiced swordsmanship for thirty years and had seen countless geniuses, but he had never seen anyone break through to the Innate Realm while chatting and laughing.

That's not a breakthrough at all.

It was something as natural as drinking water and eating.

Shen Jue felt the surging internal energy within his body and gently exhaled a breath of stale air.

The white mist, like a sword, carved a furrow several meters long into the ground.

"Interesting." He looked down at his palm and gently clenched his fist.

An invisible force field emanated from him.

Yu Huatian's expression changed drastically.

His internal energy seemed to be gripped by an invisible hand; no matter how he tried to activate it, it was like a stone sinking into the sea, unable to stir up the slightest ripple.

The longsword that had been with him for thirty years hummed and trembled, yet it couldn't be raised even an inch.

"How is this possible?!" Cao Shaoqin's eyes widened. He had cultivated his physique and internal and external strength for decades, but at this moment he couldn't even mobilize a trace of internal energy.

The two stood frozen on the ruins, like insects encased in amber.

Shen Jue made a casual gesture.

Two streams of internal force flew out like ropes, wrapping around Cao Shaoqin and Yu Huatian's waists and dragging them in front of him.

"Stop struggling." Shen Jue sat down cross-legged and patted the pebbles beside him.

"sit."

The two of them sat down cross-legged against their will, their postures stiff as two wooden puppets.

Shangguan Haitang and Qinglong exchanged a glance, both seeing shock in each other's eyes.

They tried to escape, but found that their internal energy was also imprisoned by that strange force field, and they couldn't even take a step.

That's Phantom Breath Technique - Gravity Manipulation.

The result of the interaction with internal forces.

The technique Shen Jue used to apply his internal energy was something he imitated from the way the Pirate King Shen Jue used Haki.

"You four," Shen Jue held up four fingers, "before dawn, tell me all the martial arts you have learned."

"No mental techniques or formulas are needed."

"We only talk about the philosophy of martial arts."

"Tell us your understanding of martial arts."

Yu Huatian coldly replied, "On what grounds?"

Shen Jue glanced at him.

Just one glance.

Yu Huatian groaned, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of his mouth.

"With this," Shen Jue said, withdrawing her gaze, "is that enough?"

Qinglong took a deep breath and spoke first: "The 'Stunning Swan Blade Technique' that I practice is named after the fleeting glimpse of a swan."

"The blade flashes like a white horse galloping past a crack in the wall, faster than the eye can see. The essence of the blade lies not in its strength, but in its timing. The instant your opponent blinks is the instant the blade arrives."

Shen Jue listened intently, his eyes growing brighter and brighter.

The remaining three stopped struggling and began to tell their stories.

Shen Jue closed her eyes.

The four of them felt the force field that had been binding them suddenly disappear, and their internal energy resumed its circulation.

But none of them moved.

Because Shen Jue's aura was changing.

His inner strength is being refined.

Shangguan Haitang saw it most clearly.

With each breath Shen Jue took, his internal energy became one degree purer.

That kind of pure speed is equivalent to ten years of hard training for an ordinary innate master.

"Monster," she murmured to herself.

The east is turning white.

Shen Jue opened his eyes, his gaze seemingly sparkling with stars, but it vanished in an instant, and he returned to his lazy demeanor.

He stood up, stretched, and his joints cracked.

"Not bad, not bad." Shen Jue smiled broadly. "A very fruitful experience."

After saying that, he turned and walked towards the small town, his steps as light as if he had just finished strolling through the market.

"Come on, do I need to ask you to?"

The four men looked at each other in bewilderment amidst the ruins, and then reluctantly followed.

East Street of the small town.

As dawn broke, the cobblestone path was sparsely populated.

A tavern with a sign that read "Drunken Immortal Abode" had its doors wide open, but the inside was empty except for a tall figure slumped in a corner by the window.

Shen Jue stepped inside.

The innkeeper was working on his abacus behind the counter when he saw him enter. He quickly gave him a wink and lowered his voice, saying, "Sir, that gentleman has been drinking all night, I'm afraid..."

"It's alright." Shen Jue waved his hand, walked straight to the corner, and sat down opposite the person.

There were about a dozen empty wine jars piled up haphazardly on the table, and a rough earthenware bowl still had half a bowl of leftover wine.

The person who was lying on the table looked up.

He had a rugged, square face, thick, dark eyebrows, and fierce, piercing eyes.

But those eyes, which should have been imposing without anger, were now bloodshot, and the corners of their eyes still bore traces of wet tears.

Qiao Feng.

As Shen Jue recognized him, Qiao Feng was also sizing up the young man in front of him.

He was shirtless, his body as white as a sculpture, with several unlucky men following behind him.

Qiao Feng smiled.

As the leader of the Beggars' Sect and a successor of the Dog-Beating Stick Technique, he was a master who had one foot in the grandmaster realm.

He clearly sensed that the four unlucky guys behind this young man were all innate masters.

Qiao Feng didn't say anything, picked up the wine bowl and drank it all in one gulp, then slammed it down on the table.

With a "bang," the bottom of the bowl embedded itself three-tenths of the way into the tabletop.

"Brother," Qiao Feng said in a hoarse voice, revealing the exhaustion of a hangover.

"I'm in a bad mood today and don't want to fight. If you're looking for trouble, come back another day."

Shen Jue smiled.

He picked up a clean wine bowl from the table, lifted a half-full wine jar, and poured himself a bowl of wine.

The wine is clear and refreshing, with a rich and mellow aroma.

In a small town, this is already quite rare.

"I'm not here to cause trouble." Shen Jue picked up his wine bowl and clinked it against Qiao Feng's.

"I'm here for a drink."

"I also wanted to get you to work for me."

Qiao Feng paused for a moment, then tilted his head back and gulped down another bowl.

Shen Jue served him a bowl.

Two complete strangers began drinking bowl after bowl of wine in the early morning tavern.

No one spoke.

Until the third jar of wine was emptied.

Qiao Feng suddenly spoke up: "You smell strongly of blood."

"I've killed people before," Shen Jue answered honestly.

"Quite a lot."

"A good person?"

"Bad guy."

Qiao Feng glanced at him, then suddenly burst into laughter, the sound shaking the dust off the roof beams.

"What a wicked person!"