6.16 - Finals begin (continued)

Chapter 125: Finals begin(continued)

Lu Heng watched the two boys sit gingerly on the edge of the sofa, barely daring to occupy a third of the cushion. He couldn't help but burst out laughing inwardly, wondering just what kind of image Gu Lingjun had in the family to make the pair act like they were facing a great scourge.

Lu Heng looked at the two boys sitting like a pair of frightened quails under Gu Lingjun's intimidating presence, completely different from their high-spirited appearance on their contestant profiles. Feeling a bit sorry for them, Lu Heng poured each of them a cup of hot tea.

"Here on business?" Gu Lingjun asked tersely.

Gu Thirteen and Gu Fourteen had indeed come with a mission. Just before they left for S City, the eldest brother of the Gu family, whom they called Big Great Uncle, had called them over and, with a warm smile, requested a small favor.

The conversation had gone something like this:

"My dear grandnephews, I hear you're heading to S City tomorrow. There's a little something I'd like to ask of you."

Naturally, Gu Thirteen hadn't dared to refuse Big Great Uncle's request, agreeing instantly without even asking what the favor was.

"Ah, such exemplary young members of our Gu family," Big Great Uncle had said with a nod and a smile. "It's very simple. Once you're in S City, drop by Lingjun's place. Call me right away if there's anything unusual."

Simple?! I don't think so. Gu Fourteen complained inwardly, and blamed the impulsive idiot Gu Thirteen for agreeing without question.

"Big Great Uncle, if I may ask, why pick us?" Gu Fourteen had asked. After all, there were others from the direct family line in the tournament who were presumably closer to Gu Lingjun, so why pick him and Gu Thirteen, two distant cousins.

"You young people share common interests. You'll find it easy to communicate," Eldest Brother Gu had replied, smiling cheerfully.

Noooo, Little Great Uncle is the most difficult to talk to! Gu Thirteen and Gu Fourteen howled in unison internally. However, the matter was already settled, which led to what happened today.

"Little, Little Great Uncle..."

Lu Heng sat down beside Gu Lingjun. Seeing Gu Thirteen mumbling Little Great Uncle for ages without getting to the point, he couldn't stand it any longer. He leaned toward Gu Lingjun and whispered in his ear, "Stop scaring them. If this keeps up, the food will get cold."

Sitting opposite them, Gu Thirteen and Gu Fourteen only saw "Ah Heng" whispered something in Little Great Uncle's ear. In the next instant, a miracle occurred. The always imposing Little Great Uncle Gu, whose presence was as sharp as the Tang sword he wielded, still maintained a stoic expression, but his aura softened considerably.

Gu Thirteen finally relaxed and spoke fluently: "Little Great Uncle, Big Great Uncle asked us to drop in and ask. Have you got used to living in S City?"

"Hmm," Gu Lingjun nodded.

The conversation went back and forth for a while. Gu Thirteen, who had a go with the flow^[1] character, noticed that Gu Lingjun had suddenly become much easier to talk to. On top of that, the enticing aroma of food wafting from the dining room immediately gave him endless courage fueled by the greedy worm in his stomach.

He blurted out, "Little Great Uncle, it's getting late, and both Fourteen and I haven't eaten yet..."

"I'll treat you to dinner."

"Great, great!" Gu Thirteen nodded ecstatically, thinking Little Great Uncle has become so approachable!

A few minutes later...

Gu Thirteen stood in the hallway, holding a wad of cash, exchanging bewildered glances with Gu Fourteen. In front of them was Gu Lingjun's tightly shut door.

"Are you an idiot?" Gu Fourteen asked.

"I don't know what gave me the illusion that Little Great Uncle had become more humane!" Gu Thirteen replied. "Isn't the normal process to invite us to stay for dinner? That way, we could further observe if there's anything unusual about him."

Gu Fourteen gave him a long look, filled with a mix of pity and care, before saying, "Still, we didn't come away empty-handed."

"Huh?" Gu Thirteen looked completely confused.

"That Ah Heng is the biggest anomaly about Little Great Uncle," Gu Fourteen said with a hint of helplessness. He really couldn't understand how he had lost to this fool again and again in the training camp. I guess it's probably because fools have extraordinary fighting instincts.

=============

It was Lu Heng's first match in the finals today.

This match was actually not very exciting, as Lu Heng's opponent was a Yellow-tier Martial Artist who made it to the finals through the preliminary selection.

This Martial Artist had mediocre skills and largely made it to the finals by sheer luck. During the preliminary rounds, his opponents were absent several times for various reasons.

Due to the significant disparity in strength, even the underground casinos hadn't set up betting for this match.

Sitting in the observation room, Cui Zihang naturally wasn't interested in the match. He was only there because it happened to be his turn to supervise the competition today.

The observation room was located at the best vantage point of the entire tournament venue. With a Martial Artist's eyesight, he could clearly monitor even the slightest changes happening on the field.

The match was set to begin in just a few minutes. Cui Zihang leaned back on the sofa, idly watching the preparations on the field.

"Cui Zihang." A voice sounded behind him.

Cui Zihang shot up from the sofa. Whoever it was, he, an Earth-tier Martial Artist, hadn't detected their presence at all!

He turned around and saw that it was Gu Lingjun. Realizing this, he found it unsurprising. But then, he wondered—why was Gu Lingjun here at such a dull and uneventful match? With some puzzlement, Cui Zihang asked, "Little Martial Uncle Gu, is there something you need from me?"

"Not you." Gu Lingjun walked straight forward and took the best vantage seat Cui Zihang had just vacated.

Cui Zihang sat down beside him, his mind full of questions. Although members of the judging committee had the authority to randomly supervise any match, Gu Lingjun wasn't the type to do such a thing. And this match, with its huge disparity in strength, wasn't likely to attract this Martial Arts fanatic.

The match began.

As predicted, the situation on the field was entirely one-sided. From the start, EternalMoon's attacks came like a torrential storm, leaving his opponent no room to breathe. It didn't take long before, with a few swift and efficient moves, he rendered his opponent completely powerless.

In the end, EternalMoon's precisely controlled scimitar stopped just half an inch from his opponent's throat.

They had a winner.

Cui Zihang's attention was almost entirely focused on Gu Lingjun.

The moment the match began, Gu Lingjun pulled a portable camera out of the bag he had brought with him. Throughout the entire match, he was intently recording, his expression utterly absorbed.

His focused demeanor gave the impression that there were two Heaven-tier masters dueling on the field, where missing even a second of footage would be a tremendous loss.

Cui Zihang shifted his gaze back to the field. He glanced at the match—boring. He even rubbed his eyes, yet the scene remained the same: a totally unexciting match dominated by a massive disparity in strength.

He glanced at Gu Lingjun again. The same intense focus, even a hint of fervor in his eyes, was locked on the camera's screen. Cui Zihang had only ever seen Gu Lingjun in such a state when hunting exceptionally powerful Heaven-tier mutated beasts.

Is there some unknown secret in the footage captured by that camera?

As the match ended, Gu Lingjun packed up his camera and prepared to leave.

"Little Martial Uncle Gu, please wait a moment." Cui Zihang felt that if he didn't figure out what was going on today, he wouldn't be able to sleep that night.

"What is it?"

"May I take the liberty of borrowing the video you just recorded? You know me—I'm a very curious person. Seeing how focused you were, I'm worried I might have missed some incredible moments," Cui Zihang said with utmost sincerity.

Gu Lingjun thought for a moment and, out of a subtle desire to show off, pulled up the footage he had just recorded and handed the camera over.

One look, and Cui Zihang was shocked. It wasn't just because the footage was entirely centered on EternalMoon as the star of the show, with the other contestant reduced to the role of a supporting actor.

More importantly, the filming style was identical to the videos EternalMoon had previously released.

"You are the one who filmed all of EternalMoon's videos?" Cui Zihang asked.

"Mm."

"Who is this EternalMoon to you that he could get you to be his personal videographer?" In his shock, Cui Zihang blurted out the first question that came to mind.

Cui Zihang wasn't shocked that Gu Lingjun, a member of the judging committee, had dealings with a contestant. After all, Martial Arts matches were ultimately about learning skills from each other, with judges primarily ensuring fairness and safety, and the key was seeing true skill in action. Many members of the judging panel had family members participating in the tournament, and there was no rule explicitly prohibiting such connections.

What shocked him was that Gu Lingjun would actually serve as a videographer for a Yellow-tier Martial Artist! This was the same Gu Lingjun who cared about nothing but Martial Arts and wouldn't let anything interfere with his training. It was a scene so unimaginable that it felt less likely than the sun rising from the west.

"Ah Heng said it can't be made public yet," Gu Lingjun said calmly before taking back the camera and walking out.

That left Cui Zihang standing dumbfounded in the middle of the room.

"Wh-what? Make it public? What are you going to make public…"

Cui Zihang felt as though he'd heard some terrible secret. After the initial shock wore off, a new worry crept into his mind—was he going to be silenced for knowing too much?

---

[1] 顺杆儿爬: Say and do things that please others. A knack for taking advantage of the situation.

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6.16 - Finals begin

Chapter 125.1: Finals begin

Seeing Gu Lingjun's serious expression, Lu Heng felt a mischievous urge rising. How could he, an experienced driver with memories, fear this rookie with no memories?

"But I don't have anything you would like," Lu Heng said.

It was still a line from that ridiculous fanfic. Lu Heng just wanted to see if Gu Lingjun actually had the courage to utter the next shameful line.

"Then use your delicious body as payment," Gu Lingjun replied, his expression calm, his tone steady, looking as though he were discussing something entirely normal rather than delivering this cringe-worthy line.

Ooh, you actually dare to say such a shameful line! Lu Heng got a serious case of the chills. He took a deep breath and shook off the goosebumps crawling all over him.

Gu Lingjun noticed Lu Heng's silence, his jawline tensing slightly.

Lu Heng stood up and strode over to where Gu Lingjun was seated on the sofa, staring at him aggressively.

Gu Lingjun imperceptibly leaned back, blinking rapidly.

You have the desire but not the courage, eh? Lu Heng smirked inwardly. He leaned forward, placing his right knee beside Gu Lingjun's leg on the sofa, grabbing Gu Lingjun's collar with both hands.

Lu Heng slowly moved closer, stopping about ten centimeters away, staring into Gu Lingjun's eyes. His tone was soft: "Hmm? I didn't catch what you just said."

Staring at the face so close to his, Gu Lingjun's Adam's apple bobbed, and he was lured into answering, his voice slightly hoarse: "Promise yourself to me."

Lu Heng chuckled lightly, "As you wish."

And with that, he lowered his head, closing the ten centimeters between them completely.

Gu Lingjun felt the slight coolness of Lu Heng's lips against his own, followed by a warm, moist sensation grazing the corner of his mouth.

Gu Lingjun's hands clenched into fists, so tight that faint veins bulged on his forearm. Then he loosened them, and with the sudden, fierce precision of a big cat striking prey, he pressed his left hand against the back of Lu Heng's head, pulled his waist closer with his right, and in one swift motion, drew the person he liked into his embrace. He took control, lips and tongues entangled passionately.

Seated on Gu Lingjun's lap, Lu Heng couldn't help but think: As expected of the super aggressive Lord Junlin; even a kiss feels like he's charging into battle. But these wandering thoughts didn't last long before he was completely swept into the endless vortex.

By the end of the kiss, Lu Heng was the one who admitted defeat. At this moment, he was pinned on the sofa, the soft cushion beneath him and Gu Lingjun's strong and scorching body over him.

Lu Heng braced his hands against Gu Lingjun's shoulders and gave a strong shove.

Thud—

Gu Lingjun landed on the floor, blinking in confusion as he looked up at Lu Heng, eyes still smoldering with desire. Realizing he'd been pushed off the sofa, he pursed his lips and simply stared straight back at Lu Heng.

Lu Heng saw a hint of grievance in Gu Lingjun's eyes, chuckled, and reached out to pull him up. "I need to save up my energy and prepare well for the finals, so let's stop here today."

"I'll accept the deposit, and you'll pay the rest after the finals," Gu Lingjun replied.

"…" Way to focus on the key point, Lu Heng ridiculed inwardly. That heretic sub-forum really had taught Gu Lingjun quite a lot. It turned a novice, once solely interested in Martial Arts, into someone confidently speeding down a highway.

The results for the groupings in the National Ancient Martial Arts Conference finals were out.

The finals would be split into two divisions, A and B, with two subgroups in each division. The ultimate championship match would take place between the winners of Division A and Division B.

In the rookie group, the two most anticipated competitors were none other than EternalMoon, who had burst onto the scene, and Zhou Yishu, who had made a comeback through the Resurrection Challenge. Given the conflict between them, a showdown was all but guaranteed to draw everyone's attention.

But when the groupings were announced, the spectators were disappointed. EternalMoon was placed in Division A, while Zhou Yishu was assigned to Division B. This meant that if they were to meet in the competition, it could only happen in the championship match.

Moreover, luck didn't seem to be on EternalMoon's side; he was placed in the same division as the top seeded contestant. EternalMoon's fans were a little anxious—not because they doubted his abilities, but because the No. 1 seed was indeed a formidable opponent.

The No. 1 seed was from the Gu family and had registered not under his real name but a code name: Gu Thirteen. Martial Arts circle insiders all knew that Gu Thirteen was the most outstanding of the new generation of the Gu family.

He had graduated with excellent grades from the Gu family's intensive training camp not long ago, and had already begun independently hunting Black-tier prey, as evidenced by the Black-tier mutated creatures he submitted to the tournament committee for registration.

Even ordinary people could tell from the videos on his profile that Gu Thirteen was no ordinary competitor. While EternalMoon's profile was filled exclusively with hunting videos, Gu Thirteen's page featured an array of sparring footage.

There were clips of him sparring with peers, training with Black-tier Martial Artists, and even a daring challenge against a Earth-tier Martial Artist. A mere 18 years old rookie, Gu Thirteen managed to hold his own against a Earth-tier opponent for a significant time—a remarkable feat that showcased he was a rare Martial Arts genius.

This was precisely what worried EternalMoon's fans. Unlike Gu Thirteen, EternalMoon appeared to have little experience sparring with others.

Observant netizens had pieced together a few key facts from the pitifully little information revealed by EternalMoon.

Firstly, EternalMoon is a solitary Martial Artist with no family influence backing him. This became evident during the skinning incident. While EternalMoon was training abroad, rumors and slander flooded the Internet, leading to a steep drop in his popularity. Such a hit to one's reputation could be devastating for a Martial Artist. Had EternalMoon been backed by even a minor Martial family, they would have intervened to defend him, stepping in to curb the spread of rumors rather than letting the situation deteriorate.

Secondly, EternalMoon has never received formal Martial Arts training. Both his footwork and blade techniques differ greatly from any recognized Martial Arts systems.

According to the analysis of some expert Martial Arts enthusiasts, EternalMoon's footwork seemed to be some long-lost Ancient Martial Arts.

As for his blade technique, it was even more astonishing. It appeared that EternalMoon developed his own style. In his earliest hunting mutated snake video, his blade skills were still rather rough, with many movements that did not conform with standard Martial Principles. However, in his later videos, even casual viewers could observe how his blade technique had evolved. It grew smoother and more cohesive, resembling a fully developed Martial Art.

Countless talented Martial Artists dreamed of creating their own Martial style. After all, compared to the Martial Arts passed down by predecessors, a self-created style was definitely the most suitable for the creator's own Martial Path. Should one succeed, it was like finding a wide path straight to the Heaven-tier. However, creating one's own Martial Arts was easier said than done. Over the last several hundred years, only one person had truly succeeded: Junlin, the youngest Heaven-tier Martial Artist.

Now, EternalMoon seemed to be pursuing a similar path. His supporters were naturally concerned that EternalMoon might face setbacks halfway through and eventually abandon this endeavor to follow a traditional Martial Art. But the pressing issue now was that EternalMoon's blade skills were honed primarily through combat with mutated creatures.

There was a world of difference between hunting mutated creatures and sparring with Martial Artists.

There was some uncertainty about whether EternalMoon's blade techniques, honed through solitary hunting, would be just as unstoppable when facing an opponent who was equally matched or slightly stronger.

Beyond EternalMoon's die-hard fans, more people seemed to have a pessimistic outlook.

This was evident in the betting odds set by underground casinos. The odds of EternalMoon reaching the semifinals were 0.82, but the odds of him making it to the final were 4.8. In other words, most people expected him to lose to the No. 1 seed, Gu Thirteen.

On the other hand, Zhou Yishu, competing in Division B, had odds of 1.3 to reach the final.

No matter how turbulent these pre-match analyses were, the final stage of the National Ancient Martial Arts Conference officially began.

On the first day of the schedule, Lu Heng didn't have a match. The early rounds also did not require the presence of a heavyweight judge like Gu Lingjun.

And so, with both of them suddenly free, Gu Lingjun's long-lost "loving" homemade dinner made its triumphant return to the table.

Gu Lingjun was quite a talented cook. After all, gifted people tend to pick things up quickly. Lu Heng had missed his cooking during the busy training period, so he was looking forward to the meal.

Just as the table full of dishes were laid out, the doorbell of Gu Lingjun's house rang.

Gu Lingjun's eyebrows creased ever so slightly before he got up to answer the door.

"Little Great Uncle," came two respectful voices from the doorway.

Little Great Uncle? Lu Heng couldn't help laughing when he heard it. He'd heard that Gu Lingjun was of a very high generation in the Gu clan, and here was the proof. From the voices, he guessed these two addressing him as Little Great Uncle were likely around his own age.

A moment later, Gu Lingjun led two boys around 18 years old into the room.

Seeing who had arrived, Lu Heng was a bit surprised but then quickly understood.

He recognized both of them from the tournament's official site: one was the top seed of the newcomers' bracket, Gu Thirteen, and the other was the fifth seed, Gu Fourteen.

The Gu family had only sent these two newcomers to compete in this tournament, so it was natural that, as their family elder, Gu Lingjun would be paid a visit by them now that they'd arrived in S City.

When the two entered and noticed someone else in the living room, they froze.

Gu Thirteen spoke up, "Sorry, Little Great Uncle, we didn't expect you'd have a guest. Should we come back another time?"

Gu Lingjun replied, "No need. Ah Heng is not a guest."

Seeing the two boys exchange uncertain glances, Lu Heng smiled and gestured, "Grab a seat. Gu Lingjun and I are close, so don't worry about it."

Close? With Little Great Uncle? Gu Thirteen and Gu Fourteen looked at each other, each seeing the horrified look in the other's expression.

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6.15 - Comeback

Chapter 124: Comeback

The Resurrection Challenge was dubbed Hell Mode by netizens.

The Resurrection Challenge took place in the two weeks between the end of the preliminary selection and the start of the finals. To qualify for the finals through the Resurrection Challenge, participants had to earn one gold, three silver, and ten bronze badges within fourteen days.

Bronze badges were awarded by challenging contestants who advanced to the finals from the preliminaries. Silver badges were earned by challenging seeded contestants ranked between 10th and 50th. To earn a gold badge, challengers must defeat one of the top ten seeded contestants.

Every year, countless participants in the Resurrection Challenge fell short at the gold badge threshold. The top ten seeded contestants were not just ordinary competitors—they represented the elite of their generation in terms of talent, strength, and often family background.

In particular, contestants aged 18 to 23 in the "Rookie Group" symbolized extraordinary talent and family heritage. The top ten seeded contestants in the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference's Rookie Group would almost certainly become Earth-tier Martial Artists in the future, barring unforeseen circumstances.

Take, for instance, the exceptionally talented top-seeded contestant from the past two tournaments, Junlin, who had already advanced to the Heaven-tier low-rank. This demonstrates the formidable strength of the top ten seeded contestants.

Another example was Lu Heng. Despite submitting the mutated snake which was one of the most powerful mutated creatures at Yellow-tier, he only secured the 11th seed position because the top ten seeded contestants submitted prey who were Black-tier mutated creatures. This year's number one seeded contestant, who was from the Gu family's new generation, even submitted a mid-level Black-tier mutated creature.

The Resurrection Challenge demanded that contestants win a gold badge from one of these prodigies, a feat that was incredibly difficult. Although losing to a challenger in the Resurrection Challenge didn't significantly impact the seeded contestant's ranking or qualification for the finals, it was a different story in terms of pride. For these young prodigies who were being trained by their families with the highest expectations, losing in the Resurrection Challenge and having to hand over a gold badge was far more humiliating than losing in the finals.

Moreover, the audience is always the most ruthless. If such a face losing counterattack happens, the seeded contestant's popularity is bound to take a nosedive.

A drop in popularity meant that the source of thought energy had been significantly reduced, and in the subsequent fiercely competitive finals, their chances of winning the championship were practically zero. Therefore, seeded contestants went all-out in the Resurrection Challenge and never took it lightly.

This extreme difficulty had resulted in only one Martial Artist securing a finals spot through the Resurrection Challenge in the past ten tournaments: Junlin.

Junlin was known as the most unconventional contestant in the history of the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference. At 18, he won the Rookie Group championship, then returned three years later to compete again. According to tournament rules, second-time participants—even if still within the 18-23 age range—were no longer eligible for the Rookie Group.

He was placed in the Earth-tier Group based on his strength. While 21-year-old Earth-tier Martial Artists were rare, they weren't unheard of. Junlin's rise to fame, however, came when he chose to start directly from the Resurrection Challenge and defeated the then top-seeded Earth-tier contestant in the Challenge, earning widespread fame as one of the most notable Martial Artists in China.

After learning more about the Resurrection Challenge, Lu Heng immediately understood the Zhou family's intentions: they hoped to replicate Junlin's path to fame.

Speaking of which, Lu Heng wondered how Zhou Yishu had managed to win the Rookie King at the time. He had exceptional talent but a bad character, and the Zhou family didn't have the deep legacy of the ancient, powerful families with centuries of tradition.

It seemed the key lay in the "Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart," which must have something unique. However, the original owner hadn't received formal Martial Arts training, and this knowledge was likely to be relatively secretive in the Martial Arts circle. Despite Lu Heng's extensive research, he couldn't uncover any secrets about the Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart.

But hey, doesn't he have Gu Lingjun, with his rich family heritage in Martial Arts, right by his side? No sooner had he thought of this than Gu Lingjun delivered himself right to his door!

"Come over, let's eat."

"Sure."

After replying on WeChat, Lu Heng got up and headed next door.

After returning from T Country, Gu Lingjun had suddenly become addicted to cooking for Lu Heng. So, the two of them began dining together daily, switching the venue from restaurants to Gu Lingjun's home.

At first, Lu Heng was a bit puzzled. Then, one day when he came over for dinner, Gu Lingjun was busy in the kitchen, and the laptop on the coffee table in the living room was still open. Lu Heng inadvertently glanced at the page displayed on the screen.

"SovereignGu personally prepared a whole table of dishes, and EternalMoon was delighted beyond words. After they ate and drank to their hearts' content, EternalMoon happily nestled into SovereignGu's embrace and said: 'Gu, you're the best…'"

Lu Heng was floored—what kind of heresy was this? He looked more closely at the URL at the top of the screen and realized it was actually a fanfic starring him on a sub-forum on the OhMyMy livestream platform's website, the very sub-forum that had stripped his vest, exposing "EternalMoon" and "Idol" as the same person.

After that incident, Lu Heng hadn't bothered to look at those messy forums again. But now it seemed that Gu Lingjun had become completely absorbed in them!

After returning home that day, Lu Heng browsed that sub-forum and finally understood what had been causing Gu Lingjun's recent odd behavior.

The inspiration for that bizarre business with OhMyMy platform shares? Gu Lingjun must have gotten it from the fanfic titled "The Domineering CEO's Tsundere Little Sweetheart."

The training trip to the Land of Extreme Evil that popped out of nowhere? That had probably been inspired from the post titled "Idol rejected company as gift. Unhappy. What should I do?"

As for Gu Lingjun cooking for him every day, that inspiration seemed to have come from a fanfic titled "SovereignGu's Slow-Burn Husband Chasing Journey."

Lu Heng was a bit amused, but even more, he was deeply moved by the warmth of being cared for so attentively.

He was by Lu Heng's side on every mission, and even if Lu Heng encountered sickening mission targets like the Zhous, Lu Heng would not be fed up with his work.

As soon as he stepped into Gu Lingjun's house, Lu Heng saw the table filled with a variety of washed mushrooms, vegetables, and an assortment of mutton rolls, beef meatballs, etc. The "Mandarin Ducks" pot^[1] on the induction stove was already bubbling happily, calling for the mutton rolls and beef meatballs to quickly fall into its arms.

The room was filled with such enticing aromas that Lu Heng's mouth started watering. He didn't stand on ceremony with Gu Lingjun; he sat down at the table without hesitation.

"The finals are coming up, so you should avoid impurities in your diet. The ingredients outside aren't the best quality," Gu Lingjun explained briefly.

A few days earlier, Lu Heng had casually mentioned that he was craving hot pot, and now here it was—Gu Lingjun had remembered.

They chatted as they ate.

Over dinner, Lu Heng brought up the topic of the Resurrection Challenge.

"I didn't expect Zhou Yishu to have such confidence in his own strength," Lu Heng remarked.

Seeing Gu Lingjun's mildly puzzled look, Lu Heng continued, "Isn't the Resurrection Challenge called Hell Mode? In all these years, you're the only one who's ever made it to the finals through this challenge."

"It's not that difficult." Gu Lingjun told the truth.

"Huh?" Lu Heng was surprised. "Then why did you enter the challenge? I thought you were the type who enjoyed taking on tough challenges."

Gu Lingjun placed the freshly cooked meat into Lu Hengs bowl and casually replied, "At the time, I just wanted to spar with the number one seed. He said he was too busy with the competition to be distracted, so I signed up for the challenge."

What a reason. Lu Heng lit a bunch of candles for that number one seed in his heart. If he knew Gu Lingjun's motive, he would definitely regret not agreeing to a private sparring match with Gu Lingjun. After all, that poor sod's popularity had plummeted after Gu Lingjun defeated him in the challenge, and it took him a long time to recover.

Lu Heng: "I see, but your strength isn't exactly typical. What I wonder is why Zhou Yishu has such blind confidence that he'll make a comeback through the challenge."

The rescue method chosen by the Zhou family this time was like walking a tightrope over a precipice.

If he succeeded, Zhou Yishu could indeed wash away the stain on his reputation. After all, netizens are always the most forgetful. Under the dazzling crown, the few stains on a royal robe would be easily covered up. Over time, they would naturally be forgotten by everyone.

But if he failed, he wouldn't just carry the stain of vanity and hypocrisy—Zhou Yishu would also be branded as delusional and overconfident, making it nearly impossible for him to turn things around.

"Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart," Gu Lingjun explained. "The most precious and special thing about it is that it absorbs thought energy seven times faster than an ordinary martial artist's heart."

With just that, Lu Heng understood. The Resurrection Challenge garnered as much attention as the final match itself. In the previous incident, the Zhou family had paid off a Yellow-tier Martial Artist to take the fall, reducing the blemish on Zhou Yishu's reputation to mere vanity and failing to clarify the developments behind the video.

But this could be smoothed over by playing the "youth and ignorant" card—always a convenient excuse for mistakes. As long as Zhou Yishu managed to shine in the first challenge match, the innate skill of his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart would let him soar to the top.

After all, people who paid attention to these events on the official website in the early stage were mostly addicted to the Internet or die-hard fans who paid close attention to the Martial Arts circle. But from the Resurrection Challenge onward, in addition to the Internet, the matches would be aired around the clock across various platforms, becoming a national spectacle. The thought energy he'd gather from this level of attention would be many times greater than in the early stage.

With these added boosts, the gap between Zhou Yishu and the tenth seeded contestant in the rookie group wouldn't be so insurmountable. The Zhou family's strategy actually had a decent chance of success.

Interestingly, this trajectory was exactly what Lu Heng wanted. After all, a slap in the face is best witnessed by as many people as possible—it's louder that way. And the original owner's commission included one specific condition: he did not want his gift to be used for martial arts by someone like Zhou Yishu.

Swapping hearts again was impossible, but Lu Heng could do the next best thing: utterly destroy Zhou Yishu's Martial Arts Path.

"Well, knowing this, I feel a whole lot better," Lu Heng said, setting down his chopsticks and leaning back in his chair with satisfaction.

"Huh?" Gu Lingjun was puzzled.

"That moron from the Earth-tier Martial Artist livestreaming team seriously pissed me off when he leaked Zhou Yishu's video," Lu Heng said. "It completely threw off my plan—I had intended to give my dear little brother a big surprise during the finals."

"Moron" Gu Lingjun blinked guiltily.

"Good thing the Zhou family isn't entirely useless. They’ve managed to prop Zhou Yishu back up again, and it looks like he'll climb even higher than before." Lu Heng stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Well, that puts my mind at ease. I really should thank our dear father for this."

After dinner, Gu Lingjun began cleaning up the mess in the kitchen. Lu Heng wanted to help but was gently yet firmly pushed out into the living room.

He found himself settled on the sofa with a plate of freshly cut fruit in his hands, while the TV showed the Resurrection Challenge of the National Martial Arts Exchange Conference. Today was the first day of the tournament.

Lu Heng got a little interested. He was curious to see what kind of  new look Zhou Yishu would show after Father Zhou's "loving" nurturing. However, Zhou Yishu's match wasn't up yet; the current competitor was a mediocre fighter, leaving Lu Heng a bit bored.

Ding—

A WeChat notification rang. Thinking it was his phone, Lu Heng instinctively glanced at the coffee table, but it was actually Gu Lingjun's phone screen lighting up. Martial Artists have excellent eyesight, and Lu Heng read the message in that brief glance.

Cui Zihang: Little Uncle Gu, I've already fired those two troublemaker livestream team members, and I've also asked them to post the full video. I hope this meets with your satisfaction?

…, So the moron who nearly ruined his plan was right by his side. Lu Heng sighed helplessly in his heart. No wonder Gu Lingjun's mood was a bit wrong when he brought up the topic earlier!

After a while, Gu Lingjun finished tidying up and sat down beside Lu Heng.

"Your WeChat," Lu Heng said, raising his chin toward the phone.

Gu Lingjun picked it up, glanced at the message, but did not reply. As he set the phone back down, he froze for an instant, then asked, "You saw it?"

"Mm." Lu Heng nodded.

"I…" Gu Lingjun seemed hesitant.

Seeing his conflicted expression, Lu Heng couldn't help but laugh out loud. "I'm not mad, so don't go buying another company to apologize."

"..." Actually, in retrospect, Gu Lingjun also thought that had been a pretty silly move. Still, if bringing it up made Lu Heng laugh like this, he supposed it wasn't all bad.

Lu Heng asked, "But can you tell me why you posted Zhou Yishu's video?"

"I hate Zhou Yishu. If it weren't for him, your videos wouldn't have to be posted online," Gu Lingjun answered bluntly.

Though his expression remained calm, Lu Heng could almost feel a dark aura radiating from him. He reached out to pat him reassuringly. "Alright, alright. Once these disgusting things are over, you can film whatever you want."

As they spoke, Zhou Yishu's match began.

In the arena, Zhou Yishu appeared pale and noticeably thinner, but his strikes were as sharp as ever. In fact, there was now an air of fierce determination in his every move, as if he were fighting with nothing left to lose. He swiftly backed his opponent into a corner, forcing them to retreat again and again.

Finally, Zhou Yishu delivered a final strike, knocking his opponent out of the ring. He then put away his spear and extended a hand, helping his defeated opponent to their feet in a friendly manner. After the referee announced his victory, Zhou Yishu gave a slight bow and said to his opponent, "Thank you for the guidance."

A few minutes later, the screen cut to the post-match interview area. Zhou Yishu appeared on camera, and despite the intensity of the battle, his breathing was steady, and not a drop of sweat on his brow—a clear indication of his easy victory.

The interviewer asked him, as they did all winners, to share his thoughts on the match.

Zhou Yishu gave a shy smile and replied, "I'm sorry, but I don't feel I'm qualified to be interviewed just yet. When I earn my gold badge, I'll stand here with a clear conscience and properly thank everyone and offer my apologies."

With another small bow, he quickly exited the frame.

It was a nice character setting—a lost little sheep who got back on the right path. Lu Heng admitted that Zhou Yishu played this repentant character to perfection. In the coming days, Zhou Yishu's image should improve a lot.

Sure enough, things progressed exactly as Lu Heng had guessed. After his first match, Zhou Yishu's modest, unassuming demeanor helped him regain some popularity. In the subsequent matches, he was unstoppable and charged forward triumphantly.

In his final match against the tenth-seed competitor, Zhou Yishu clung to a never-give-up spirit, turning the match into a grueling battle of endurance. With his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Heart, he could absorb and recover thought power much faster. In the end, both he and his opponent, injured and exhausted, collapsed to the ground at the same time.

Zhou Yishu was the first to stand up. Leaning heavily on his spear for support, he bit his lip tightly and staggered upright—a dramatic moment that quickly became iconic, winning him a huge wave of fans. His impressive performance in the Resurrection Challenge turned things around for him entirely, and his popularity soared higher than ever.

After all, nothing tugs at the audience's heartstrings quite like the "prodigal son mends his ways" routine.

Lu Heng couldn't be more pleased with the outcome. If Zhou Yishu had been ruined at a stroke, it would have left him at a loss for how to deal with the Zhou family next.

At last, it was time for the finals of the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference to begin.

During this period, Gu Lingjun suddenly became unusually busy. Not only did he skip their daily lunch meet-ups, but even their dinners had reverted to eating out.

But, as a member of the judges' panel, it was only natural that he had a ton of things to do before the finals.

After returning home from dinner that evening, Lu Heng suddenly recalled something about the upcoming finals: the group arrangements. If he ended up in the same group as Zhou Yishu, they'd face each other before even reaching the quarterfinals.

Since the finals were elimination-based, defeating Zhou Yishu too early wouldn't have the impact Lu Heng had in mind. Luckily, this was something Gu Lingjun could arrange under the radar—putting them in different groups wasn't exactly cheating, after all.

Lu Heng brought it up casually, fully expecting Gu Lingjun to agree without a second thought. But to his surprise, Gu Lingjun stayed silent, looking oddly pensive.

Huh? In this world, is this guy the strictly impartial and incorruptible type when it comes to work? Lu Heng wondered. If that was the case, he'd just have to rely on the luck of the draw.

All of a sudden, Gu Lingjun blurted out an absurd line: "If I agree to your request, what are you willing to give in return? After all, there's no such thing as a free lunch in this world."

"..." Lu Heng was stunned by the question at first, wondering if Gu Lingjun had been possessed by some foreign spirit. Then the words started sounding oddly familiar. A moment's reflection reminded him: wasn't that a line from "The Domineering CEOs Tsundere Little Sweetheart?"

So, Gu Lingjun was inspired by that crap again!

---

[1] Hot pot with a divider, containing spicy soup on one side, mild soup on the other.

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6.14 - More smacks

Chapter 123: More smacks 

The most ironic part was that among these videos, there was one showing a battle between EternalMoon and a mutated anaconda.

The anaconda, already massive by nature, did not grow in size after mutating. Instead, it developed in a far more terrifying direction—speed.

With a huge body, strong defense, and speed no longer being a shortcoming, the mutated anaconda became an almost unbeatable foe for a Yellow-tier novice.

Yet, EternalMoon managed to accomplish it. He grappled with the anaconda for three nights. Perhaps just to hone himself, every day when the anaconda's mutation ended, EternalMoon also stopped attacking and retreated to rest. Repeating this three times, he finally identified the anaconda's weakness on the third night.

The last scene left every viewer in shock.

EternalMoon unexpectedly staked everything by letting the anaconda swallow him. Everyone held their breath, knowing that EternalMoon would surely emerge victorious. Yet, this horrifying scene still made some timid viewers cover their eyes.

After EternalMoon's upper body disappeared into the snake's jaws, a blade suddenly broke through the skin of the anaconda's belly, slashing downward. The massive mutated snake was nearly cleaved in two.

The blood-drenched young man who emerged looked like a death knight stepping forth from a river of blood—cruel and beautiful. He disdainfully removed his blood-soaked jacket and tossed it aside.

EternalMoon walked toward the camera, drawing closer and closer. Many viewers, watching his muscular upper body clad only in a black vest, felt the power in every step, and couldn't help but swallow hard.

"Don't worry, see? I'm right here," EternalMoon said with a smile, as if speaking to the person behind the camera. Even with his face smeared in blood and painted with camo so thick his features were barely visible, those star-like bright eyes and gentle smile became many people's desktop wallpapers and phone screensavers for a long time to come.

"Ahhhh! My male god, no no no, no matter what I do I feel like it's blaspheming my male god! I'm losing it, I don't even know what I'm saying!"

"After watching male god's videos, are the haters' faces painful? Loving look emoji."

"Come on, haters, keep jumping! The difference in strength between that mutated snake and this mutated anaconda is like heaven and earth~ and those who claim my god stole prey have faces that are even bigger than the disparity between these two snakes!"

#I apologize to EternalMoon for blindly believing the rumors#

As soon as Lu Heng's video was released, the direction of public opinion reversed instantly. This trending topic appeared simultaneously on the National Ancient Martial Arts Conference official forum, the OhMyMy streaming platform, and Weibo.

Different people responded to this topic in different ways.

The die-hard fans of EternalMoon and Idol were naturally proud and elated, feeling a sense of justice and vindication after days of silent frustration.

The navy controlling the narrative made one last desperate effort, only to be smacked in the face by fans, who used a simple method to do it: they responded to any slander with clips and GIFs. It was a one-shot kill.

The fans-turned-haters and passerby critics who had been easily swayed by rumors felt their cheeks burn with embarrassment. Recalling their previous words and actions that followed the trend to blacken EternalMoon, they felt moronic and wished they could lose their memory on the spot.

And finally, there was Zhou Yishu—the mastermind who orchestrated this entire storm.

"Xiao Shu, it's time for dinner," Mother Zhou called gently, knocking lightly on his door. Her voice was soft, coaxing. "You've shut yourself in there all day. If something is bothering you, talk to us. We'll find a way to…"

Before she could finish, a loud crash from inside interrupted her.

"Leave me alone," came a curt response from inside the room.

Sighing, Mother Zhou walked away. Zhou Yishu's room was in a mess—anything breakable had been smashed into pieces.

His eyes were bloodshot, face dark with anger, as he sat on his bed.

Damn that EternalMoon, that EternalMoon! Zhou Yishu threw himself back onto the bed, gradually forcing himself to calm down.

Fortunately, he had always maintained a high-minded stance and pretended to speak in support of EternalMoon, so he hadn't lost everything. He still had the finals to look forward to, where he'd finally have his chance to deal with him.

Blinded by jealousy and rage, Zhou Yishu failed to see the truth staring him in the face: the strength EternalMoon had displayed in that video was far beyond anything Zhou could hope to match at his current level.

Meanwhile, Lu Heng was content to let things end here. Proving himself through skill was the best way to silence critics, and as for the mastermind Zhou Yishu, he had plenty of surprises in store for him in the future. There was no need to rush.

But someone else wasn't so quick to let it go. After all, the precious videos that should have been enjoyed solely by him were now being used by netizens to lick the screen.

Gu Lingjun was very unhappy.

He picked up his phone and dialed a number: "Cui Zihang, did you lend out your exclusive live streaming team recently?"

Cui Zihang, surprised to receive a call from the Gu family's Little Martial Uncle, responded nervously, "I've been busy with the conference recently and haven't been streaming. So I let my team take on some private gigs to keep them sharp. Wh-what's happened?"

"I need to speak with them."

***

#Full Video of Zhou Yishu vs. Mutated Snake#

This post appeared on the official forum of the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference. The post contained no text—just a video.

And yet, it caused an uproar.

Because the content of this full video was entirely different from the short clip that had circulated earlier. In this uncut footage, Zhou Yishu's battle with the mutated snake was evenly matched only in the opening minutes. After that, he was completely overpowered by the mutated snake.

At the end, Zhou Yishu was flung a dozen meters across the ground by the snake's powerful tail, smashing hard into a wall. The mutated snake then looked directly at the camera for a moment before leisurely slithering away. Viewers swore they saw a mocking expression in the mutated snake's eyes in that parting glance.

It was as if the snake were mocking them for having been so easily deceived and instigated, mistaking a glass bead for a precious stone.

The higher Zhou Yishu had been elevated before, the harder he fell now.

The fooled netizens flocked to Zhou Yishu's contestant homepage. Though the votes they'd cast couldn't be taken back, the netizens found another way to express their anger—bricks as opposed to little red flowers.

According to busybodies keeping track, the number of bricks Zhou Yishu received in just a few days was enough to build a skyscraper over a hundred stories tall. This was an unprecedented spectacular event since the National Ancient Martial Arts Exchange Conference began.

To put it in perspective, bricks were far harder to obtain than little red flowers, as they were a prop that couldn't be bought with money. According to the official website rules, to prevent malicious trolling, only accounts linked with the Exorcist Martial Artists streaming platform were eligible to earn bricks, receiving one brick per year of registration.

Therefore, netizens jokingly called this prop "gold bricks." Over the many tournaments held, most contestants had received zero bricks. After all, they were too valuable to give out unless it was "true love."

And now many netizens had emptied their savings, the flood of bricks piling up to tower-like heights, which was a testament to just how deep their "love" for Zhou Yishu was.

Compared to these bricks—unflattering but ultimately harmless virtual items—Zhou Yishu now faced a far more serious consequence.

Zhou Yishu's thought energy had increased dramatically thanks to his recent trending status, enabling him to rise directly from Yellow-tier low-rank to Yellow-tier upper-rank. However, just when he needed to consolidate his realm, the release of that full video meant he could no longer gain even a hint of thought energy.

On the contrary, his recently achieved realm was even showing signs of regression.

Finally, Father Zhou found out about the situation. Zhou Yishu had kept the fact that he'd hired online promoters hidden from him. Although Father Zhou had been aware of the recent uproar on the Internet, he'd assumed Zhou Yishu had simply benefitted from unintended publicity. He had no idea that his son had orchestrated the entire scheme.

It stemmed from Zhou Yishu's perfect conduct in everyday life. He was broad-minded and generous, never hesitating to share his insights on cultivation with friends and fellow disciples.

Father Zhou never imagined that his son would resort to such underhanded tactics just to bring down a rival. All this just for the sake of a popularity ranking for newcomers?

How utterly foolish! He was just sabotaging his own future!

Having immersed himself in Martial Arts for many years, Father Zhou had only reached the Black-tier upper-rank due to limitations in talent, but his perspective was far beyond what Zhou Yishu could comprehend. He understood that for a Martial Artist to reach the peak of Heaven-tier, the state of mind was far more important than thought energy.

While thought energy could be gradually accumulated, once cracks appeared in one's mental state, it would no longer be smooth and flawless. Repairing it would be nearly impossible.

Father Zhou, who had never been angry with Zhou Yishu, flew into a rage: "Utterly foolish! It seems that your smooth sailing since childhood has clouded your judgment. You actually gave up the ultimate martial arts for the sake of instant petty gains!"

"I didn't expect that video to be leaked. Those people on the team took so much of my money and actually went back on their word! When I find out who leaked it…"

Smack!

A resounding slap cut off Zhou Yishu's defense.

"Hey, if you have something to say, just say it nicely. Why are you hitting the child!" Seeing Zhou Yishu's cheek quickly getting red and swollen, Mother Zhou felt sorry for him and stepped forward to intervene.

Father Zhou pushed Mother Zhou aside with one hand when she blocked him, not curbing his strength at all, which sent her stumbling heavily to the floor: "If it weren't for you, would Xiao Shu have turned out like this? And you still dare get in the way!"

Father Zhou looked at his wife, who was quietly shedding tears, then at Zhou Yishu, who still wore a defiant expression. He covered his face and sank heavily onto the sofa. There was no point in saying these things now. For the sake of Zhou Yishu's future, he had no choice but to do whatever he could to make things right.

After all, he'd already sacrificed one child for the revival of the Zhou family. He must not let the Martial Path of his remaining child be cut short as well.

A few days later, the skinning storm involving EternalMoon finally reached a conclusion on the forum.

The most famous navy studio on the Internet came forward to testify, revealing that the entire EternalMoon incident had been orchestrated by a Yellow-tier Martial Artist who had lost his seeded contestant spot due to EternalMoon's sudden appearance. The studio posted a series of evidence online, including communication logs, payment receipts, etc.

At the same time, a notice appeared on Zhou Yishu's contestant homepage:

I, Zhou Yishu, would like to apologize to all my friends who have supported and liked me for what happened before.

Although these disputes were manipulated by someone behind the scenes, it ultimately stemmed from my failure to securely handle my video, allowing ill-intentioned individuals to exploit it, leading to damage to EternalMoon's reputation. Out of vanity, I didn't come forward to clarify matters immediately, but now I have fully realized my mistake.

As a gesture of my remorse, I have decided to forfeit my seeded contestant spot. I will sign up for the Resurrection Challenge and earn my place in the finals fair and square with my own strength.

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6.13 - Smack! Listen, that's a slap in the face

Chapter 122: Smack! Listen, that's a slap in the face

S City Airport.

Two flight attendants, dressed in uniform and with flawless makeup, were pulling their small black suitcases, looking a bit weary. They had just finished an international flight, and both were exhausted, eager to get home and rest.

"Hey, say something, or I'm going to fall asleep while walking," said the short-haired air hostess to her companion.

"What's there to say? It's just the usual stuff," replied the long-haired air hostess.

"Wasn't this your first time serving first class? Are first-class passengers any different?" asked the short-haired air hostess.

"They've all got two eyes, one nose, and a mouth," the long-haired stewardess hesitated a bit, "But… there were two passengers who were quite odd."

The short-haired flight attendant perked up at once, as if her exhaustion from the long flight had suddenly vanished: "Tell me about it!"

The long-haired flight attendant gave her companion, whose eyes were now gleaming with gossip, an exasperated look: "Actually, those two passengers were young and very handsome, but there was just this indescribable feeling about them."

"Oh, really? Hehehe." The short-haired flight attendant flashed a knowing grin.

"What are you thinking?" The long-haired flight attendant rolled her eyes. "You know the situation in T Country. I suspect those two might be big shots from some faction over there…"

She lowered her voice as she said this last sentence.

"No way, people like that wouldn't even be allowed entry," dismissed the short-haired flight attendant with a wave of her hand.

"My intuition has always been keen. I'm serious. The taller guy was alright, just a bit indifferent-looking. But the slightly shorter one… he had this heavy aura of blood around him, like he'd just walked out of a scene of carnage…"

At this moment, the two "faction big shots" were sitting side-by-side in the back seat of a taxi.

The ride from the airport to home would take about an hour. Martial Artists had excellent physical fitness, so Lu Heng felt no fatigue even after a long-haul flight.

He did, however, notice something odd about the taxi driver's behavior. The driver seemed jumpy, pressing the brakes and accelerator abruptly and driving with a joltiness that made Lu Heng uncomfortable, especially given his heightened senses as a Martial Artist.

"Mister…" Lu Heng started to say that they weren't in a hurry, so there was no need to drive so aggressively.

Suddenly, the screeching sound of tires scraping the road rang out as the taxi driver slammed on the brakes, bringing the car to a sudden stop in the middle of the road.

"S-Sorry… what do you want me to do?" The driver asked, trembling with fear. He ignored the blaring horn from the car behind that almost rear-ended him, nervously checking Lu Heng's expression in the rearview mirror.

"..." Noticing the driver's neck soaked with sweat, Lu Heng helplessly pulled on a reassuring smile. "It's fine; we're not in a rush. Just take it easy. No need to be nervous."

As the car started moving again, Lu Heng caught the driver's hands gripping the steering wheel so tightly that the veins on his hands bulged.

"What's wrong with him?" Lu Heng whispered in Gu Lingjun's ear.

Gu Lingjun's ears flushed slightly pink, but his face remained unchanged. Leaning close, he whispered back, "You haven't restrained your murderous aura, which has some impact on ordinary people, and those with keen intuition can't help but fear you."

"Why didn't you say so earlier?" Lu Heng, not too familiar with this world's martial arts system, hadn't realized that his aura had drastically changed after training in the "Land of Extreme Evil."

"It's good," said Gu Lingjun.

Lu Heng glanced at Gu Lingjun, understanding clearly now—his aura was so ferocious that most people wouldn't dare to look at him twice. And Gu Lingjun seemed to be rather pleased with this effect.

Vinegar sea, Lu Heng mocked inwardly. He closed his eyes and began to focus on circulating his energy, withdrawing his intimidating aura back into himself. Only then did the driver's trembling hands gradually steady, and the vehicle finally began to move smoothly again.

With things finally calming down, Lu Heng took out his phone. Living in that godforsaken jungle had felt like stepping back into the Stone Age, with no access to the Internet for weeks. Eager to catch up, he opened his Weibo account.

As soon as he did, his phone crashed.

What's going on? Although his phone wasn't the latest model, it was still a decent one—freezing like this was unexpected. Frustrated, Lu Heng had to force restart it. On his second attempt to open Weibo, the app opened, albeit slowly.

Then he noticed the source of the problem—a massive notification overload. His account had been tagged several million times.

What the hell happened? Browsing through, Lu Heng soon discovered the reason: Zhou Yishu was stirring up trouble.

He clicked on the link to the post that had tagged him the most. It took him to a thread on the National Martial Arts Exchange Conference's official forum. The title read: Summary of the EternalMoon Skinning^[1] Incident.

Without bothering to click through all the individual links, Lu Heng skimmed through the timeline of events summarized by the OP. At the very end, the poster had even included a closing statement summing it all up.

"Up to today, EternalMoon has still not issued any statement regarding the matter. While the truth is still up in the air, it's worth noting that, compared to EternalMoon's complete silence, Zhou Yishu—who was unintentionally dragged into this mess—has shown a much more proactive and positive attitude. An official revealed that Zhou Yishu even called the organizing committee to request his voting channel be temporarily closed, saying that the irrational voting by netizens is unfair to the other contestants."

"Heh." Lu Heng finally let out a sneer. Zhou Yishu certainly knew how to play a slippery hand to manipulate public opinion. Playing both the wh*re and the saint^[2], he had gained all the benefits while putting on a show of reluctance.

A mere mutated snake and a spot in the Newcomer Popularity Rankings had provoked Zhou Yishu to resort to such despicable tactics. This man's nature was even worse than Lu Heng had imagined.

With such a narrow-minded, vindictive attitude, it wouldn't be long before Zhou Yishu's cultivation encountered issues.

That's right. Lu Heng had indeed deliberately chosen the mutated snake that Zhou Yishu had failed to kill as his own submission prey. That night, after noticing the flaws in Zhou Yishu's spear skills, he'd already devised this plan.

None of this fallout was outside Lu Heng's expectations.

"What's wrong?" Gu Lingjun, who had been resting with his eyes closed, turned his head at Lu Heng's reaction.

Lu Heng simply handed his phone over: "The clown^[3] has begun his performance."

One look, and Gu Lingjun's brows knit tightly together. Ever since he started live streaming, his unapologetic style had attracted its fair share of negative comments, but he'd never cared about the slander from irrelevant people.

But Lu Heng was different. In Gu Lingjun's heart, Ah Heng deserved only the world's most beautiful words. Seeing some of the harsher remarks from the haters, his fingers tightened involuntarily.

Noticing this, Lu Heng hurriedly held Gu Lingjun's hand and rescued his phone: "We'll talk about this later."

With the taxi driver present, it wasn't the right time to say more. The two of them fell into a comfortable silence, though Lu Heng kept his hand over Gu Lingjun's, softly holding his fingers to calm his emotions.

==========

"I'm really angry."

Lu Heng closed the front door of Gu Lingjun's house, walked over to the sofa, and sat down. Just then, he heard Gu Lingjun speak.

"What's wrong?" Lu Heng patted him on the shoulder, noticing the stiffness beneath his hand; Gu Lingjun was clearly holding back his emotions.

"They insulted you."

"Don't you get insulted all the time too? It's no big deal." Lu Heng gently squeezed his shoulders, giving Gu Lingjun a comforting massage.

"It's not the same. They can insult me. But you—not allowed."

Feeling the muscles beneath his hands slowly relaxing, Lu Heng spoke softly, "There's no difference. We're both martial artists."

"Martial Path is mind powered by thought energy, but it is not the purpose of Martial Path. Mixing up priorities like that means you won't get far on this Path. If I let this kind of petty gossip affect my state of mind, how could I ever pursue the peak of Martial Path? How could I brazenly say that I'll stand beside you as an equal?"

"Hmm." Gu Lingjun took Lu Heng's hand from his shoulder and held it in his palm.

The two of them didn't need to pour out their feelings in words. Both were clear-minded and could understand each other without needing to speak.

"Zhou Yishu's tactics have ultimately lost the true spirit of Martial Path. From this point on, the door to the Heaven-tier will forever be closed to him," Lu Heng said with a disdainful smile.

Except for the matter of the heart exchange, which he couldn't discuss directly with Gu Lingjun due to rules restriction, Lu Heng had shared all his conflicts with the Zhou family. So regarding this incident, both of them were fully aware of who was orchestrating things behind the scenes.

"Still, we have to resolve this matter. This trap was set for Zhou Yishu in the first place, and since he's walked into it, there's no need for me to hold back," Lu Heng said. "Hand it over."

"What?"

"The videos we recorded this time, of course. I was going to use the older footage, but since you have something more fitting, wouldn't it be even better?"

"This is my private collection," Gu Lingjun said, but he obediently took a USB drive from his pocket and handed it to Lu Heng.

The long-absent EternalMoon finally reappeared.

He only left a message on his contestant homepage: Here's an update on my recent gains.

Immediately following were several videos, all recorded during his disappearance.

The most exciting was the final video.

The video showed a vast jungle, rendered in stark black and white by the high-definition infrared lens. While the colors were muted, every detail and contour was razor-sharp.

As the camera slowly zoomed in, the viewers finally noticed a figure crouching low in the grass. He was dressed in camouflage, his face smeared with thick camouflage paint, blending seamlessly into the surroundings.

Under the high-resolution lens, the tension in his muscles was almost palpable, like a cheetah coiled and ready to spring.

The camera slowly shifted to his face, revealing only his sharp-as-blades eyes beneath the paint. Everyone recognized him instantly by the psychic weapon gripped tightly in his hands: it was EternalMoon.

EternalMoon's image this time was too awful. His hair was wild as if he had just casually hand-combed it, his clothes unbearably dirty, and, on closer inspection, large patches of bloodstains clung to them.

Yet, despite—or perhaps because of—his disheveled appearance, he exuded an overwhelming wild charisma, captivating in a primal, untamed way, like a creature born to this jungle, both beautiful and dangerous.

He stared forward, his expression intensely focused. A moment later, a faint rustle stirred in the grass ahead.

In that instant...

EternalMoon moved. With a powerful kick of his long legs, his body shot out from the grass like a taut bowstring released. When he reappeared, a mutated wildcat collapsed loudly to the ground.

This scene was played in slow motion, allowing viewers to catch every detail of his actions. Mid-air, his hands flipped gracefully, and his foot briefly braced against a nearby tree. The tree trunk bore a shallow footprint, evidence of the immense force, which propelled him forward at even greater speed.

His movement was so fast that the mutated wildcat, known for its lightning reflexes, hadn't even had a chance to react before its heart was pierced clean through.

This breathtaking hunting sequence was even more exciting when seen after the earlier videos, because they showed his struggles: at first, he cut a sorry figure as he chased and killed through the jungle; later, he managed to win hard-fought battles, often ending as battered as his prey; until in this final video, he stood victorious, striking down the mutated wildcat with clean, lethal precision.

Some viewers well-versed in the Martial Arts community recognized the location of the video.

The Land of Extreme Evil—the most dangerous region in the world.

As news of EternalMoon's reappearance spread, those who had come ready to hurl abuse at this opportunistic seeded contestant felt their faces burning.

This was EternalMoon? The one accused in the posts of only knowing how to grab eyeballs and gain popularity by cross-dressing in bizarre costumes?

The same EternalMoon they claimed was lacking in strength and got the seeded contestant spot by stealing another's kill?

The Land of Extreme Evil, the mutated wildcat were like heavy slaps in the faces of these people.

What a joke. What a huge joke.

---

Footnotes:

[1] 扒皮: to flay; to skin; (fig.) to exploit; to take advantage of.

[2] 又当又立 is part of the phrase 又当又立，网络用语 which means "being a wh*re and pretending to be a saint." It might have originated from the idiom 婊子立牌坊, meaning "to want to be able to do immoral things while maintaining a good name."

[3] 跳樑小丑: a buffoon who performs antics.

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