Translator: AnubisTL
"The Black Crocodile is hooked!" Sima Juncong shouted, and Gu Feng also yelled out.
"Gu Feng, do you still want to cultivate or not!" Chu Youhuan, upon seeing Gu Feng, immediately roared and strode over, followed by nine women.
These were the team personally selected by Chu Youhuan from the Sunset Glow Sect after the shareholder resolution, specifically to guide and supervise Gu Feng's cultivation.
They were all originally from the Inner Sect of the Jade Maiden Sect. These female cultivators hadn't followed to the Outer Sect mainly due to family pressure at the time. Now that the Outer Sect was thriving, they were summoned back as they were good sisters.
"Shh! Quiet, don't scare away my Black Crocodile!" Gu Feng made a silencing gesture, then held the fishing rod with Sima Juncong.
"Don't use too much force, try to exhaust the Black Crocodile's strength."
"Let go, let go a bit!"
"Be gentle, or the fishing line will snap!"
"..."
The cultivation guidance team had been established for over ten days, but Gu Feng always disappeared, so today was the first time the members saw him.
They all stared wide-eyed, curiously looking at Gu Feng, the outstanding young man praised by their elders, the influential leader of the Swamp Zone.
He was young, with a tall and slender figure, his jet-black hair evenly cascading over his shoulders, giving him a carefree appearance. His fair skin wasn't the type that made him drop-dead handsome, but it made him very pleasant to look at.
At this moment, his bright eyes were fixed on the swamp ground, his brows sometimes furrowed, sometimes relaxed, and he occasionally cursed at the slightly shorter, noble-looking young man named Sima Juncong beside him.
Before coming to the Swamp Zone, their elders had warned them that Sima Juncong was the one not to mess with in the Swamp Zone because he had a father who was a Northern Region Marshal.
But now, seeing Sima Juncong being scolded by Gu Feng like this, they felt a strange sensation.
"This Black Crocodile is huge!" Sima Juncong, sweating profusely, murmured to Gu Feng.
"Senior Sister Chu, come and help!"
"No!" Chu Youhuan tossed her head, not even looking at Gu Feng.
"After we catch it, I'll go cultivate!" Gu Feng chuckled.
"Everyone, come and help!"
Chu Youhuan waved her hand, and the female cultivators rushed forward to help pull the fishing rod!
"Roar—"
After nearly an hour of stalemate, the Black Crocodile finally emerged from the swamp!
"Damn, it's so big!"
As soon as the Black Crocodile's head appeared, Gu Feng's eyes lit up, and he shouted excitedly.
Judging by the size of the Black Crocodile's head, even if it wasn't the largest in the swamp, it was definitely in the top ten.
"Hahaha, hang it up, let's go back!"
This was Gu Feng's usual routine; after catching a big Black Crocodile, he always liked to hang it outside the chariot to show off.
"Leader Gu is so fierce today, catching such a huge Black Crocodile!"
"Over ten meters long, I've never seen such a big Black Crocodile. Based on a cultivator's strength, it's almost at the Innate Realm."
"Amazing, Leader Gu!"
"..."
Since the construction of the checkpoint, Gu Feng felt that Spirit Stones were just numbers to him, hundreds of thousands or even millions were trivial and couldn't spark his interest.
Only fishing for Black Crocodiles could give him a sense of satisfaction.
"Heh, not bad!"
Gu Feng stuck his head out of the chariot, grinning as he greeted the people outside.
"I think it's necessary to organize a Black Crocodile fishing competition!"
"That's a great idea, I'm in!" Sima Juncong had never caught a Black Crocodile before, but that didn't stop him from loving the sport!
Every time he saw Gu Feng make a catch, he couldn't help but feel envious, always fantasizing about one day being able to roam the marshes with a Black Crocodile in tow, just like Gu Feng.
"Great my foot!" Chu Youhuan exclaimed, then glared at Gu Feng and said, "You just said you were going to cultivate!"
"Cultivate? Of course, I will cultivate, but you have to show me the cultivation plan you've customized for me!" Gu Feng chuckled.
Cultivation plan?
Chu Youhuan was taken aback, clearly she hadn't prepared any cultivation plan.
"What plan? Just cultivate day and night without stopping!"
"That won't do, you need a cultivation plan, like how much I should progress this month, next month..." Gu Feng shook his head.
Chu Youhuan frowned, gathered the female cultivators for a discussion, and after a while, she cleared her throat:
"There are seven months left until the end of the year, and each month your strength must meet the standard!"
"By the end of June, your combat power must at least be equivalent to the third level of the Innate Realm!
By the end of July, the fourth level of the Innate Realm!
...
By the end of December, the ninth level of the Innate Realm!"
"Only then, by the end of January next year, can you match the first level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm and have a chance to defeat Shu Yuheng!"
Hearing this, Gu Feng's face fell: "Isn't that demand a bit too high? Did you cultivate this fast when you were in the Innate Realm?"
"Times are different, I was poor back then, always on the road making money, with little time to cultivate; but you're different, you just need to focus on cultivation!" Chu Youhuan said with her hands on her hips, her voice serious.
"That makes sense!" Gu Feng nodded, then changed the subject: "Cultivation requires a balance of tension and relaxation, according to what you said, as long as I complete the monthly cultivation plan, can I play with the extra time?"
"Exactly! As long as you complete the cultivation progress ahead of schedule each month, you can play with the remaining time!" Chu Youhuan nodded with a smile.
What a fool, increasing a small realm in strength each month, how could it be that easy?
To achieve that, one would probably have to grind day and night, tirelessly honing oneself, to possibly make it happen.
Time to play? That's impossible, one might not even have time to go to the bathroom.
"How will this strength be judged?"
"I have ten people here, you can choose any one of them, we will suppress them to the corresponding realm, and fight you fairly!"
Hearing this, Gu Feng rolled his eyes, whenever realms are suppressed, there's no such thing as fairness, realms can be suppressed, but how can one suppress the understanding of martial arts and combat experience?
"Alright then!"
"Great, we'll start cultivating tonight!" Chu Youhuan smiled with a hint of triumph in her eyes.
"I want to challenge someone first!" Gu Feng chuckled.
"What realm are you challenging?" Chu Youhuan asked, her expression filled with doubt. "You just broke through to the Innate Realm and have been idling around the swamp all day. How much progress could you have made? At best, you're slightly stronger than an average first-level Innate cultivator."
"How about the fifth level of the Innate Realm? If I win, I won't need to cultivate until the end of August," Gu Feng shrugged as he spoke.
Upon hearing this, the female cultivators exchanged glances and whispered among themselves.
"Starting with the fifth level of the Innate Realm? Won't that crush his confidence?"
"Whoever he chooses, go easy on him. He's not very motivated to cultivate. If he gets instantly defeated, he might just give up altogether."
"We can't put too much pressure on him. We need to give him hope and coax him into cultivating."
"..."
Chu Youhuan pondered for a moment, then nodded. "Toad Swallowing the Sky, huh? Quite the bold claim. Fine, the fifth level of the Innate Realm it is. But if you lose, don't use the excuse of the realm difference to avoid cultivating!"
"Don't worry, I'm not that kind of person! I'll challenge tomorrow. Today, I'll rest and feast on that Black Crocodile tonight!"
...
The next day, Gu Feng arrived at the cultivation chamber as promised.
The opponent at the fifth level of the Innate Realm didn't matter to him. Afraid that Chu Youhuan might not honor the bet if he won, Gu Feng directly named her as his opponent.
"Hmph—I must say, you've got quite the guts. Out of the ten cultivators in our team, you chose the one you shouldn't have!" Chu Youhuan said with boundless confidence, her beautiful eyes gleaming.
"If you lose, you'll cultivate diligently. I don't want to hear any more excuses for slacking off."
"No problem!" Gu Feng replied with a relaxed smile.
After Chu Youhuan suppressed her realm, the two began their duel.
Outside the cultivation chamber, Sima Juncong hurried over.
"When did the fight start? Why didn't anyone inform me? I wanted to see Boss Gu with a bruised and battered face!"
Out of the four to five thousand cultivators in the Swamp Zone, Sima Juncong was the one who most wanted to see Gu Feng humiliated.
"It just started, inside the cultivation chamber," a female cultivator said with a shrug.
"Gu Feng has the ability to challenge those above his realm. He might be able to hold his own against a third-level Innate cultivator, but against the Sect Leader at the fifth level, he stands no chance."
"If the Sect Leader gets serious, Gu Feng won't last three moves."
"He might even be defeated in one move. But the Sect Leader won't do that. She'll probably go easy on him and drag out the fight for a few dozen moves."
"..."
They were well aware of Chu Youhuan's strength. Even at the ninth level of the Innate Realm, she was far stronger than the others. In the entire Swamp Zone, aside from the Elders, no one was her match.
Her prowess wasn't just in her realm. Her understanding and application of Martial Skills, her allocation of Spiritual Power, and her combat experience were all impeccable.
Even when suppressing her realm to the fifth level of the Innate Realm, she could unleash strength comparable to the sixth level, and most sixth-level Innate cultivators were no match for her.
Gu Feng was simply asking for a beating!
"Gu Feng chose to challenge the fifth level of the Innate Realm. He probably never expected to win."
"Men always value their dignity more than their lives. If he had challenged the second or third level and lost, he would have been too ashamed to face everyone. But with the fifth level, even if he loses, he won't be laughed at."
"After all, he's a person of status now and cares about his reputation."
"Hehe, when you put it that way, Gu Feng is quite adorable."
"I'm looking forward to seeing his dark expression later."
"..."
Just as the female cultivators were whispering among themselves, the door to the training room opened.
Half an incense stick's time, and the Sect Leader was quite severe in letting him off.
Gu Feng was the first to step out. Sima Juncong looked up, a grin spreading across his face, his joy evident.
At this moment, Gu Feng was disheveled, his hair a mess, bruises on his mouth, eyes, and forehead, and several slap marks on his cheeks. He was groaning incessantly, looking utterly miserable.
"What are you looking at? Haven't you seen someone get beaten before?" Gu Feng roared at Sima Juncong, who was practically leaning into him.
"Hehe, Boss Gu, no need to get angry. As cultivators, injuries are inevitable. It's not too serious, and it doesn't affect your majestic and domineering appearance!" Sima Juncong stifled a laugh, offering insincere comfort.
The female cultivators nearby were also smiling. As the saying goes, when you hit someone, you don't hit their face. Gu Feng was a figure of some standing, and no one expected the Sect Leader to be so ruthless, specifically targeting his face.
"It's alright, the Sect Leader is naturally formidable. Facing her with your current strength, losing isn't shameful."
"You're still strong. Being able to hold out for half an incense stick's time against the Sect Leader at the fifth level of the Innate Realm is commendable!"
"With just a bit more training, your strength will surely skyrocket. Defeating the Sect Leader in the future and avenging this defeat isn't just a dream."
"Keep it up, we believe in you!"
Gu Feng, with a dark expression, glared at Sima Juncong, who was laughing like a fool. "What are you standing around for? Help me back to rest!"
"Oh, oh, Boss Gu, take it easy, don't hurt yourself."
"No martial ethics! What kind of person is she?" Gu Feng muttered.
Once Gu Feng was out of earshot, the women could no longer hold back and burst into unrestrained laughter.
"Gu Feng is too adorable. Guiding him in cultivation is quite fun!"
"Losing and then saying the Sect Leader has no martial ethics, I like that kind of stubborn young man."
"The Sect Leader is really ruthless, hitting his face like that. It's just like her style."
"Eh—where's the Sect Leader? Why hasn't she come out yet?"
After laughing for a while, the women finally noticed that Chu Youhuan was nowhere to be seen!
"You... you finally came. Are the people outside gone? Quick, bring me a robe to change into!"
Entering the training room, the female cultivators were stunned by Chu Youhuan's appearance.
At this moment, Chu Youhuan was crouched in a corner behind the door, her hair a tangled mess like a bird's nest. Her face, however, showed no signs of distress, still flawless.
But her body was a different story. Her clothes were in tatters, her robe reduced to shreds hanging loosely on her body, her pink undergarments exposed.
Her chest and buttocks were covered in footprints, fist marks, and claw marks, crisscrossed and swollen, with faint signs of pinching and squeezing.
It was as if she hadn't been fighting Gu Feng, but hundreds of wild beasts.
"Sect Leader, how did you end up like this?" the female cultivators exclaimed in shock.
(End of the Chapter)
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