Hmm?
Just as Gu Qingfeng was about to leave, he turned to look. A man around thirty years old was walking toward him from the crowd.
This man was dressed in luxurious attire, handsome and upright, with a somewhat arrogant expression and a gaze that seemed unfriendly.
All the disciples present recognized this man. He was also a member of the Li family, Li Sen's cousin, Li Can. Moreover, he was an outstanding disciple of the inner gate, ranked twenty-third within the inner gate, with formidable strength.
"First, let me introduce myself. I am Li Can. Li Sen is my cousin."
Li Can walked over, his expression somewhat cold. "Then, congratulations on becoming an inner gate disciple."
Gu Qingfeng took out a Red-Leaf Monster Fruit from his storage bag and began eating it, not saying a word, waiting for what came next.
"I just found out about the incident last time in Red-Leaf Valley where you injured my cousin. Of course, my cousin's skills were inferior, so being beaten is no one else's fault."
The Fengying Li family was a major clan in the Qingyang region. Four of its younger generation members were cultivating at Yunxia Sect, each with decent cultivation. Combined with the Li family's influence, these four were virtually untouchable within Yunxia Sect's inner and outer gates. Wherever they went, many disciples followed.
Li Sen was like this.
Li Can was no exception. When he stopped opposite Gu Qingfeng, he had a full twenty to thirty disciples trailing behind him.
Li Can's expression was impassive as he stared at Gu Qingfeng and said sternly, "However, your methods were far too ruthless. You actually broke my cousin's wrist!"
On the high platform, Li Ziheng saw his grandson approaching Gu Qingfeng. He did not stop him; instead, a trace of amusement flashed in his eyes. Beside him, True Person Feixue also did not intervene. She had disliked Gu Qingfeng from the start, and now that Li Can had appeared, clearly intending to cause trouble for him, this was naturally a welcome sight for her.
Only Elder Ren De shouted a reprimand: "Li Can, what are you doing!"
Li Can turned and replied very politely, "Reporting to Elder Ren De, this disciple has heard that Gu Qingfeng failed Foundation Establishment, causing an anomaly in his meridians and making his physical body exceptionally strong. I also witnessed firsthand the purity of the spiritual power within him and how he unleashed fifty-four Blaze-Thunder Forces with the Blaze Thunder Art. This disciple is deeply impressed and wishes to seek some guidance from him."
It was a normal occurrence for disciples to seek guidance from each other, and it was permitted by Yunxia Sect—of course, provided the other party agreed.
"The disparity in strength between the two of you is too great. Is this truly a sincere request for guidance?"
After all, Li Can was the disciple ranked twenty-third in the inner gate. There was no one in all of Yunxia Sect who didn't know of his cultivation.
Fourth-layer Foundation Establishment.
His martial arts attainments were remarkable.
The three martial arts—Fire Cloud Palm, Mountain-Splitting Fist, and Gale-Speed Leg—had all been cultivated to the Five-Nine Interconnected realm. Among them, Gale-Speed Leg had even reached the Six-Nine Peak realm.
Between heaven and earth, among the Ten Arts of the Immortal Dao, any Immortal Art contained at least eighty-one profound forces.
Nine-Nine Returning to One signified perfection, the completion of the art.
Yes.
This was true for any Immortal Art.
One-Nine was entry-level, Two-Nine was refinement, Three-Nine was Minor Achievement, Four-Nine was Great Achievement, Five-Nine was Interconnected, Six-Nine was Peak, Seven-Nine was Perfection, Eight-Nine was Minor Perfection, and Nine-Nine was Great Perfection.
For any Immortal Art, cultivating to Four-Nine was Great Achievement. Great Achievement was a watershed. Reaching the Five-Nine Interconnected realm was extremely difficult, and attaining the Six-Nine Peak realm required not only exceptional comprehension but also years of arduous practice. This was especially true for martial arts; the sweat required to cultivate to the Six-Nine Peak realm was unimaginable to ordinary people.
Of course, the higher the martial arts attainment, the greater the power unleashed.
Martial arts were hailed as the foremost among the Ten Arts of the Immortal Dao precisely because they combined offense and defense, could be flexibly applied, and possessed immense power.
Compared to martial arts, spells seemed less flexible. Unless one cultivated over ten different spells, mastering just one was unsuitable for combat—one might be killed before even making a move.
Just as Elder Ren De had said, the disparity in strength between Li Can and Gu Qingfeng was too great. Even though Gu Qingfeng's Blaze Thunder Art had reached the Six-Nine Peak realm and his physical body was stronger than an ordinary person's, what did it matter?
It was worth noting that during the previous sect competition, Li Can, with his Fourth-layer Foundation Establishment cultivation and his Peak Interconnected attainments in three martial arts, had fought one against two, leaving two Fifth-layer Foundation Establishment disciples unable to fight back.
Now, Li Can wanted to seek guidance from Gu Qingfeng. In truth, everyone knew he intended to use this pretext to avenge Li Sen.
"The Chiyan Young Master Gu Qingfeng claims to be a dragon among men, not only possessing profound mastery in music but also deep attainments in spell arts. Such an impressive dragon among men, how could he refuse?
Moreover..." As if worried Gu Qingfeng wouldn't agree, Li Can first lavished praise on him, then his tone shifted. With a haughty, cold laugh, he shouted, "Gu Qingfeng, I ask you, do you dare accept the challenge!"
Everyone knew the disparity in their strength and assumed Gu Qingfeng wouldn't dare accept. To their surprise, however, Gu Qingfeng agreed. Yes, after finishing a Red-Leaf Monster Fruit, he simply shrugged and casually said two words: "Sure."
Hearing Gu Qingfeng agree, Elder Ren De was quite taken aback and couldn't help but remind him, "Gu Qingfeng, Li Can's strength is formidable. You are no match for him. Are you certain you wish to accept?"
"Judging by his demeanor, even if I don't accept today, I won't have peace in the days to come. Since that's the case, why not settle the issue now? However..." Gu Qingfeng unbuttoned his collar and asked, "But there should be some rules for this fight, right? How do we fight? To the point of stopping? Or what?"
"Do you dare face me on the dueling platform?"
"Dueling platform?" Gu Qingfeng raised an eyebrow slightly and asked with a smile, "What are the rules?"
Beside him, Fei Kui reminded him, "In dueling platform fights, there aren't many rules. As long as you don't harm the three spirits or cause permanent disability, it's fine."
The so-called three spirits referred to the spiritual root, dantian, and meridians.
"In other words, as long as the three spirits aren't harmed and no one is crippled, anything goes?"
Gu Qingfeng had fought many battles in his life, but they were all life-and-death struggles. He had never played at something like a dueling platform fight, and he found it rather interesting.
"What?" Li Can's aura was oppressive as he shouted sharply, "Are you afraid?"
"A little afraid!" Gu Qingfeng shrugged. "Alright, let's do it. Come on."
On the high platform, Elder Ren De advised, "Gu Qingfeng, this old man urges you to think twice. Although dueling platform fights forbid harming the three spirits, injuries to muscles, bones, skin, and membranes can still cause great suffering..."
"Thanks." Gu Qingfeng expressed his gratitude, thinking to himself that this old man Ren De had a decent heart.
However, as he thought this, Ren De over there shook his head in great disappointment. He was a council elder of Yunxia Sect and the chief examiner for the inner gate assessment. Moreover, he presided over the sect's annual competitions.
Over the years, he had seen far too many self-righteous disciples. During the assessment, he had observed Gu Qingfeng's calm demeanor, neither arrogant nor impatient, his movements quite proper, and his words uniquely insightful. Although he had failed Foundation Establishment, he was still a promising seedling.
He had intended to persuade him, but the other party wouldn't listen. This left Elder Ren De deeply disappointed.
Beside him, True Person Feixue still sat there arrogantly. Seeing Gu Qingfeng accept the challenge, she said coldly, "His bearing is frivolous, his words casual, feigning calm and pretending to be fearless. He lacks even a shred of self-awareness. Utterly ridiculous."
Below the platform.
The surrounding crowd cleared a space. Many disciples cheered, lending their support to Li Can.
"Come on, make your move."
Having unbuttoned his collar and rolled up his sleeves, Gu Qingfeng smiled. "Let this lord see the extent of your Immortal Arts."