Chapter 255 Who is the MVP this time?
On the training ground, illuminated by candlelight, the shadows of the warriors moved in circles, occasionally intersecting amidst the sound of weapons. The clash of weapons was faint and brief, an illusion that spread through the light.
The sound grew longer, the wind blew the candlelight, and the thin, sharp silhouette of the weapon appeared among the figures, like a needle piercing a black ink sac. Suddenly, the shadow disappeared, the sword rang loudly, and the candlelight was extinguished in an instant!
A few seconds later, the candlelight rekindled, illuminating the man's face. Ji Qiufeng transformed his Heart Sword back into a fan, leaning against the jade pillar and fanning himself with one hand.
"This is truly eye-opening, truly eye-opening." Ji Qiufeng sighed, "The elements and Qi and blood complement each other, no longer being mutually exclusive. Born from technology and evolving into the Dao, this is truly the master's unique skill."
"Should I be the one who's really eye-opening?" Chu Hengkong smiled bitterly.
He lay on the ground in a spread-eagle position, his Divine Slash stabbed diagonally three meters away, impossible to reach without even using his Wrist of Misfortune. The result of this exchange was the same as before; despite all his tricks, he couldn't hit Ji Qiufeng with a single blow.
"You've used all these desperate moves, especially the Divine Slash awakening, which is a life-or-death struggle. How can you really display your abilities in everyday sparring?" Ji Qiufeng said with a smile. "Even so, I have to seriously counter you. Hengkong, you're truly formidable now."
Chu Hengkong flipped over and sat up, retracting the Divine Slash. The sword trembled twice in dissatisfaction, as if to say, "Don't mess with me, just play around." He panted for a moment and said, "Mr. Ji, I have a general understanding of the principles of the first three moves of this sword technique..."
Ji Qiufeng held up his fan, signaling him to calm down. "I appreciate your kindness, Hengkong. You don't have to teach me the way of the sword."
Chu Hengkong raised his eyebrows: "You look down on Chongming's tricks?"
"I'd be lying if I said I wasn't moved by the Master's unique skills." Ji Qiufeng tapped him on the head with his fan. "But I'm much older than you, after all. I'm past the age of learning from others and need to refine and preserve my 'self.' The Master's path is vast and profound, but it's not my path. In the long run, it will do me more harm than good. I simply can't learn from him."
Chu Hengkong's heart skipped a beat when he heard this. In his recent adventure, he had already met several of the world's most powerful individuals. Whether it was Chongming, Vansalar, or Orlek, their skills and abilities were imbued with a strong personal touch. Seeing their skills was like seeing the person, with little evidence of a medley of learning. This perfectly aligns with Ji Qiufeng's theory of self.
On the contrary, he himself possessed a plethora of miscellaneous skills, many of which were from outsiders. Before leaving the city, he could brazenly claim to be a Dragon Country martial artist, but now he couldn't even explain why...
He was worried, so he asked directly: "Mr. Ji, have I learned too much?"
Ji Qiufeng had an expression as if he had expected this.
"I'm correcting two of your misunderstandings. First, self-cultivation can only begin at Sephiroth 4—also known as the middle Sephiroth—and this isn't something you need to consider right now.
Secondly, the knowledge and skills of the great figures you've met are probably tens of millions of times greater than the limits of your and my imagination. It's like writing poetry; you need to read the timeless verses of the ancient sages before you can write your own poems."
"I've never worried about you learning too much, but I'm only worried about you getting lost and losing your way. Fortunately, you've cultivated the ancient Canxin technique. Your Canxin Soul Resurrection Secret Technique unifies the powers of many external sects, which is an excellent approach," Ji Qiufeng advised. "I think Hengkong, you might want to put more effort into this area in your future cultivation. If you can refine all your magical powers into a single method, able to freely control them, you'll naturally have no worries. Then, reaching the 4th level of transformation point will be a significantly smaller obstacle, and your chances of achieving it will be significantly higher."
"Mr. Ji, you're making it sound like it's difficult for me to reach level four."
Ji Qiufeng smiled and said, "What do you think?"
Chu Hengkong moved his shoulder blades, and the death wings suddenly appeared, carrying him off the ground.
He looked strange: "I think this thing... should be stronger than most Chengkongyi..."
"You can be even bolder. It's even stronger than a 100% Chengkong Yi." Ji Qiufeng waved his fan. "Unfortunately, transformation isn't a fight of fists. Low-mass points can meet the requirements by suppressing external organs, but medium-mass points don't have that option. We say that transformation from level 3 to level 4 is crossing the first abyss because if you want to transform to level 4, you must transcend the gravity of the Cradle of Oblivion."
Chu Hengkong stamped his feet and habitually said stubbornly: "Overcoming gravity is not difficult."
"You mentioned gravity, and that's a good analogy!" Ji Qiufeng said with a smile, "There's a saying that goes, 'One shouldn't travel far away while one's parents are still alive.' Imagine a family with elderly parents and children, all of whom rely on one person as their pillar of support. Even if this person had wings that could carry the sky, taking to the air would be easy, but would it be difficult to travel far away from home?"
"Difficult." Chu Hengkong nodded.
"There's another person born with divine power, able to fly, but lost and aimless. He's powerful and influential on his home island, leading a comfortable and fulfilling life. Would it be difficult for him to give up his current happiness and leave his home?"
"...Difficult." Chu Hengkong said.
"Another person, with a strong mind, exceptional talent, a clear sense of right and wrong, and the ambition to achieve great things. However, his past was flawed, and his personality is extremely sentimental. Although he has settled his grudges and is far away from his hometown, he still misses it. When he closes his eyes, he sees old places everywhere, and when he looks back, he sees old friends all the time." Ji Qiufeng said leisurely, "Is it difficult to let this person say goodbye to the past, let go of his obsessions, and fly towards the future?"
Chu Hengkong was silent for a long time, then sighed and said, "It's as difficult as ascending to heaven."
"This is gravity, true gravity." Ji Qiufeng patted his shoulder. "Having dealt with the Fallen so many times, you should understand the true nature of the Black Moon. They represent attachment, family affection, the past, and the 'emotions' that all living beings in the world can never let go of. Having the will but not the strength is nothing; having the strength but not being able to let go is the most difficult abyss to cross."
"To tell you the truth, I'm not worried about anyone else's advancement except you. Even if Jie An has the patience to improve, reaching level four wouldn't be a problem. Only you, Heng Kong, are still obsessed with it, and you're having trouble getting over it."
Chu Hengkong scratched his head and said helplessly, "I'm just like that... just like you, Mr. Ji, can't let go of Huilong City. If you really let go of some things, then there's nothing left in your life."
"Severing ties of affection and loyalty is the way of the heretics. I'm letting you dissolve, not abandoning you." Ji Qiufeng smiled. "When I learned that Shax was resurrected from your hometown, I knew your future plans. Don't worry, just go for it. Once you find a solution, your obsession will naturally dissipate."
"Thank you for your guidance."
"If you have time, you might as well talk to everyone about your hometown," Ji Qiufeng said. "First, relax your mind, then you can resolve it."
Chu Hengkong thanked him and left the building. The weather in Huilong City was perfect today, and he stretched out in the sunshine.
It had been five days since he returned to Huilong City, and this was his first time taking action. It wasn't for cultivation, but to help Ji Qiufeng investigate any hidden dangers. The first few who had completed their checkups had gone off to play. He pulled out his communication crystal, saw Ji Huaisu's message, and headed towards the bustling commercial district.
The casino that once housed the club had long since burned to ashes, and the old coffin building across the street from it was gone. When the city was rebuilt after the war, the old buildings in the courtyard were uniformly renovated, and with the exception of a few stubborn residents who preferred the environment and refused to move, most residents moved into spacious, bright new homes.
Most of these residents possessed professional skills that enriched their nightlife, and they had revived their old jobs in the commercial district, opening restaurants and bars. The "Red Beard Bar," renowned for its seafood, had opened at four in the afternoon. When Chu Hengkong pushed the door open, he saw several familiar faces chatting over fried squid tentacles.
"...What do you mean my record is slightly inferior? You can't lie with your eyes open!" Fander said fiercely, "Chu Hengkong and I teamed up to defeat Fansalar. In the final battle, I was the undisputed main force!"
Ji Huaisu supported his cheek and said lazily, "Let's just talk about the facts. Everyone participated in the final battle. It can't be said that only you and Akong share the credit..."
"And besides participating in the decisive battle, we each killed an envoy." Qing Xia continued, "Then it's reasonable that our military achievements are higher than yours~"
Fander slammed the table furiously. "No, I said this calculation is wrong! Military merit isn't just about this... the number of kills on paper, okay? Shouldn't military merit be judged by what each individual has done? I destroyed the Kingdom of Despair, I created such a great opportunity, so that's my military merit. Without this opportunity, everyone would have been finished, so of course I'm the one who deserves the most credit!"
Qing Ye's expression was subtle: "Having said that, it's a bit strange for a guy who didn't kill anyone to take first place..."
"Xiaoye, your thinking is wrong. I've already told you not to just look at kills." Fander took a big sip of beer. "Then according to your calculation, non-combatants are at a disadvantage. Look, Jie An has been making medicine, and Gulibo has been growing vegetables. They didn't kill any enemies, but without medicine and vegetables, we would have been defeated. This is a unique military achievement. Then you say, after the battle in the Wilderness of Despair, the number of kills Jie An and Gulibo have is... 0! Jie An and Gulibo won without any effort! Can you say that?!"
Jie An nodded vigorously and said solemnly, "Yes, I am the winner without doing anything!"
Gulibo was so busy eating squid that he didn't hear anything clearly. He looked up and echoed, "That's right, Bo!"
A burst of cheerful laughter erupted in the bar, and Vander screamed angrily, "We can't talk about this anymore! Who the hell brought up this topic?!"
"You." Everyone pointed at it. "You started striving for the Despair Wilderness after drinking five cups. You're the first to do so."
"Oh, that's the alcohol's fault." Vander said embarrassedly, "Besides, I didn't fight for the first credit. The first credit isn't... here, right here! Hey, don't steal my wine!"
Chu Hengkong pulled the wine glass from its tentacle and drank the dark blue cocktail dry, slamming it down. "The alcohol content is not bad. You're already drunk after five glasses?"
"We Eye Demons are smaller than you guys, no, there's no comparison!" Fan De said confidently, "Come on, tell me who is second best?"
"Okay, let's hold the court session here?" Chu Hengkong was amused when he heard this. "Who tried their best? Who committed a crime? Whose playing style wasn't team-oriented? Who was the most inhumane?"
"Inspector Chu's logic is very clear," Jie An exclaimed. "It just sounds a bit like a game."
"I've seen this a lot. There's never a fight without this topic. I always tell the boss to consider a rematch. What's there to discuss after a fight?" Chu Hengkong filled his glass. "Winning is everyone's credit. If there's no fighting, everyone deserves the credit."
"Good!" "Cheers, cheers~" "Inspector Chu is so generous~"
Everyone clinked their glasses with a smile. Ji Huaisu winked at Fander and said, "Now you know why you can't be the leader."
"Isn't this just drunk talk? I don't want to be one." Vander looked indifferent, "Then why don't you review the game and get drunk?"
"Usually I just listen to everyone bragging." Chu Hengkong said, "After being in the underworld for a long time, you always have something to talk about..."
"For example, there was a killer who killed 17 people with a ballpoint pen," Shax said. "I even heard this story in the Vatican. It made a lasting impression."
He was the only one in the bar drinking iced milk (Gulibo had papaya milk today). While everyone else was chatting about their military exploits, Shax was rapidly disassembling his pistol. Chu Hengkong held his forehead, "I've told you a thousand times back on Earth that this is a misunderstanding..."
"It's not actually that much?" Qingxia asked.
"The ballpoint pen broke when I killed the seventh one, and I killed the remaining ten with my bare hands."
"So the misunderstanding is here!"
"I'm curious why we need a pen," Shakes said.
"It was a 'mission' at the time." Chu Hengkong shrugged. "A small fishing village, you know."
"Oh, no wonder."
Shax continued fiddling with his gun, while the others listened in confusion. Jie An looked around and asked, "So, what happened to the fishing village?"
"The 'missions' in the fishing village mean a lot of cultists," Shax said wearily. "They always have sticky bodily fluids, a foul odor, and hair that looks like seaweed... so I'd rather use a pencil than touch them with my hands."
"Sometimes there are hard scales." Chu Hengkong added, "Fighting it is like fighting rotten salted fish."
"Oh, you're a person possessed by a demon, right? You should have told me earlier." Ji Huaisu said.
"How is that possible? They're just ordinary cultists." Chu Hengkong laughed dumbly. "There are no demons in our place."
"Ah, ah." Ji Huaisu nodded, "...ah?"
In order to keep readers invested, I quietly updated the second chapter.
Why are updates coming back next week? I haven't even finished a single game. Where did all the time go? Help!
(End of this chapter)
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