The Unassuming Junior Martial Brother

Inside Qingyun Hall, Xuanyangzi stared at Li Xuanfeng and Shen Jinghong, his fingertips tapping lightly on the desk.

"Xuanfeng, you are now at the middle stage of the Purple Mansion Realm. Very good."

He suddenly spoke, his gaze as sharp as an eagle's.

"But during the Grand Competition, you must reveal at most the strength of the late stage of the Core Condensation Realm."

Li Xuanfeng was taken aback. "Master, why?"

Xuanyangzi tapped the table.

"You only need to take first place. There is no need to expose all your trump cards."

Realization dawned on Li Xuanfeng. He bowed and said, "This disciple understands and will certainly not disappoint Master's expectations."

Xuanyangzi turned to Shen Jinghong, his tone even heavier. "Jinghong, you must hide your strength even more."

The young woman was puzzled. "This disciple is now at the peak of the Foundation Establishment Realm, do I also have to..."

"You only need to let them see the ninth level of the Body Refining Realm."

Xuanyangzi interrupted her.

"You have only recently joined the sect. There is no need to shock the world right from the start. Save your strength, there will be plenty of opportunities to use it in the future."

Shen Jinghong gripped her sword hilt tightly and replied in a low voice, "This disciple will remember."

Xuanyangzi looked at the two of them and suddenly smiled. "By the way, take a trip to Purple Bamboo Peak while you are at it. Tell them I am inviting Xiao Ruobai to participate in the Grand Competition as well."

The spiritual energy at Purple Bamboo Peak was as thick as unmelted honey. The moment Li Xuanfeng and Shen Jinghong stepped onto the stone stairs, they felt the spiritual energy in their dantians cheering.

Xiao Ruobai was practicing martial arts in the bamboo forest. Every punch and kick carried a fierce battle aura, yet on the surface, he only emitted the fluctuations of the third level of the Body Refining Realm.

"Junior Brother Ruobai."

Li Xuanfeng cupped his hands and smiled. "The Sect Master asked us to come and invite you to participate in the Sect Grand Competition."

Xiao Ruobai stopped his movements and wiped his sweat. "Me? With my meager cultivation..."

"Junior Brother, there is no need to belittle yourself," Shen Jinghong said with rare gentleness. "The Grand Competition is all about participation. Just treat it as an opportunity to interact more with your fellow disciples."

The two exchanged a glance, both seeing a knowing look in each other's eyes.

Martial Uncle Gu possessed heaven-defying means. How could Xiao Ruobai possibly only be at the third level of Body Refining? He had probably already reached the late stages of Body Refining, or even the Foundation Establishment Realm.

"Thank you, Senior Brother and Senior Sister."

Xiao Ruobai scratched his head. "I will go and give it a try."

Li Xuanfeng patted his shoulder. "That's the spirit! Who knows, you might just pull off an upset."

Then he suddenly rubbed his hands together, his eyes darting toward the depths of the bamboo forest.

"Junior Brother Ruobai,"

He smiled warmly, but from the corner of his eye, he secretly glanced toward the bamboo cabin.

"The last time I came here, I was only focused on cultivation and forgot that we martial brothers should get closer. How about... we spar a little?"

Shen Jinghong nodded from the side, her fingers lightly tapping against her sword hilt.

"I would also like to seek some guidance from Junior Brother."

After speaking, the two tacitly held their breath, stealing a glance at Gu Changge at the door of the bamboo cabin.

Sunlight filtered through the bamboo leaves and fell on his plain white Daoist robe. He was unhurriedly peeling a spiritual fruit, acting as if he had not heard their words.

Xiao Ruobai was taken aback and instinctively looked at his master.

Gu Changge lay on a lounge chair, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.

These two brats were using sparring as an excuse, clearly just wanting to loiter around Purple Bamboo Peak to soak up more spiritual energy.

Xuanyangzi had just visited yesterday, and today he sent his disciples over. They were really treating his place like a cultivation holy land.

"If you want to spar, then spar."

He spoke lazily, twirling an amethyst grape between his fingertips.

"However, since you are staying here, you will be responsible for making lunch."

Li Xuanfeng's eyes lit up, and he quickly cupped his hands. "No problem! Although this disciple's culinary skills are not exquisite, I am quite good at roasting a spiritual deer!"

Both of them breathed a sigh of relief in their hearts. As long as they could stay in this treasure land of spiritual energy, let alone cooking, they would gladly chop wood and carry water.

"Junior Brother Xiao, I see that you are currently only at the third level of the Body Refining Realm, so I will not take advantage of you. I will suppress my cultivation to match yours, and we shall have a match. How about it?"

The spiritual energy around Li Xuanfeng suddenly retracted, his aura steadily suppressed to the third level of Body Refining. He even deliberately slowed his blood flow, making him look exactly the same as Xiao Ruobai.

"Then I will have to trouble Senior Brother for guidance."

In the clearing of the bamboo forest, Xiao Ruobai cupped his hands.

"Be careful, Junior Brother."

Li Xuanfeng shouted deeply, his fist wind sweeping over, wrapped in pale gold spiritual energy.

He deliberately used the most basic Mountain Cleaving Fist, but the move contained the mastery of the Purple Mansion Realm. It looked fierce, but he actually held back thirty percent of his power.

After all, the other party only revealed the aura of the third level of Body Refining; he could not truly strike ruthlessly.

Xiao Ruobai tapped his feet lightly, executing the Shadow Treading Steps. His figure evaded the fist wind like a willow catkin.

He did not draw his sword. Instead, he clenched his fists, the edges of his fists glowing with a faint golden light. This was exactly the basic body-tempering fist technique from the opening chapter of the War God Tome.

This fist technique seemed simple, but every stance precisely corresponded to the meridian nodes of the War God Physique.

The fist path hid agility within its fierceness. The moment he struck, he accurately jammed the gap in Li Xuanfeng's shifting fist momentum.

Li Xuanfeng was slightly startled in his heart.

He had originally wanted to go easy on his Junior Brother who was at the third level of Body Refining. He did not expect the other party's footwork to be so exquisite, let alone that his fist path revealed an experience that did not match his age.

That fist seemed slow, but it could always take the lead to seal off his space for changing moves, as if it could predict his every action.

He hurriedly changed his move. The edge of his fist brushed past the surface of Xiao Ruobai's fist, the resulting gale sweeping the bamboo leaves and making them rustle.

Shen Jinghong stood on the side watching the battle, her brows slightly furrowed.

Xiao Ruobai's fist technique seemed unpolished, but the angle of his punches revealed a ruthless edge. Especially his shift in center of gravity when dodging, it was so steady that he did not look like a newcomer who had only practiced for a few months.

Such a grasp of combat timing was clearly a sharpness that could only be honed through countless real battles. Martial Uncle Gu had indeed given him a lot of guidance.

In front of the bamboo cabin, Gu Changge held a teacup, watching the two people entangled in combat in the clearing.

The more Li Xuanfeng fought, the more alarmed he became. He had deliberately suppressed his cultivation, but Xiao Ruobai's reaction speed and grasp of timing were actually better than many cultivators in the Core Condensation Realm.

Within that seemingly ordinary fist hid a freely controlled power. He clearly could have clashed head-on, but he chose to avoid the solid and strike the weak. Such combat awareness was absolutely not something an ordinary Body Refining Realm cultivator could possess.

"Senior Brother, I cannot go on."

After thirty moves, Xiao Ruobai blocked Li Xuanfeng's fist with a punch and took the opportunity to retreat two steps. Fine sweat seeped from his forehead, and he perfectly displayed a somewhat exhausted appearance.

Li Xuanfeng panted and waved his hand, but stormy waves were surging in his heart.

When their fists collided for the last time just now, he clearly felt an obscure battle aura transmitting from the other party's fist. Although it was fleeting, it carried a sharp energy capable of tearing the air. That was absolutely not a power that the Body Refining Realm could possess.

It seemed that being able to follow Martial Uncle Gu was indeed not simple. This Junior Brother Xiao was hiding deeper than anyone else.

Especially that composure of countering every move as it came. Rather than calling it talent, it was better described as an instinct forged from rolling around on the edge of life and death. Such a foundation was something that many veteran disciples probably could not match.

"Junior Brother is formidable."

Li Xuanfeng praised sincerely. From the corner of his eye, he caught a glimpse of Shen Jinghong's eager expression and smiled again. "Why doesn't Junior Sister also come and ask for some guidance?"

Shen Jinghong drew her sword from its sheath, the tip pointing diagonally toward the ground. "Please advise me, Junior Brother."

She deliberately suppressed her spiritual energy even lower, only revealing the aura of the fifth level of Body Refining.

But after exchanging ten moves, she also realized something was wrong.

Xiao Ruobai's footwork could always evade the trajectory of her sword qi. The occasional counterattacking sword moves seemed slow, but they seemed to carry a certain rhythm, forcing her to divide her attention to deal with them.

Gu Changge looked at Shen Jinghong's increasingly solemn expression as she fought, and he could not help but chuckle softly.

Did this girl think that suppressing her cultivation meant she could go easy?

Little did they know that Xiao Ruobai's War God Physique inherently excelled at cross-realm combat. Even though he only displayed the cultivation of the Body Tempering realm, his actual combat prowess far exceeded anyone at the same stage.

An hour later, the spar finally came to an end.

Xiao Ruobai was panting from his supposed exhaustion. Li Xuanfeng and Shen Jinghong exchanged a glance, both seeing the profound shock in each other's eyes.

This trip to the Purple Bamboo Peak had certainly not been in vain. Not only had they managed to freeload some spiritual energy, but they had also discovered a junior brother who hid his true depths remarkably well.