A Rare Commodity to Hoard

"Even if you make it sound like a bed of roses, it's still betrayal." Feng Jiu cut Dug off. "Patriarch, don't believe him. Heavenly Demons are cunning and can disguise their Keywords. Don't listen to what he says—watch what he does. A Heavenly Demon like me, who can grow just by eating, is the easiest kind to control..."

Having torn down Dug's act, Feng Jiu felt as though he had vented a mouthful of pent-up anger. For no reason at all, he felt immensely refreshed.

"Ninth Brother, you've truly broken my heart. You may insult my body, but you can't slander my reputation." Dug shook his head and sighed. "You were the one who proposed working together in the beginning. Now that things are looking up, you're the one targeting me again. Think about it—if I really wanted to kill you, when I fed you blood, the shard of tile had already cut your throat. Why would I bring Third Young Master and Second Master to see you, persuade you to turn back, and bring you into the Feng Family?"

"..." Feng Jiu folded his arms and looked at Dug coldly. "If you hadn't tortured me half to death, I might have believed you."

"Forget it. I won't explain anymore. Ninth Brother may abuse me a thousand times, yet I still treat him like my first love." Dug looked at Feng Jiu, shook his head, then turned and cupped his fists toward Feng Shiren. "Patriarch, please don't hold Feng Jiu's recklessness against him. As the saying goes, spend a fortune to buy a horse's bones. If even a Heavenly Demon like Feng Jiu can be welcomed by the Feng Family as an honored guest, why fear that no other Heavenly Demons will join? Now that Heavenly Demons have descended, the world has changed. We may be weak now, but in the future, whoever commands more Heavenly Demons will be able to grow stronger and wield greater influence in the martial world. Seize the initiative, and one step ahead becomes every step ahead..."

With those words, he had defended both Feng Jiu and the Feng Family. Dug felt utterly invigorated, as though his strength had more than doubled. Every cell in his body brimmed with power.

Amazing!...

Grow stronger?

Wield greater influence in the martial world?

Inside the council hall.

The Feng Family members looked at Dug as though he were an idiot. What grand boasts!

In the vast martial world, the Feng Family was merely a second-rate clan. No cultivation techniques, no geniuses—talking about growing stronger was pure wishful thinking!

With just a few Heavenly Demons? The two of you were captured so easily. Weren't you just blowing hot air?

What did he mean, a Heavenly Demon like me?

What did he mean, spend a fortune to buy a horse's bones? I'd already decided to join the Feng Family, yet with just a few words, you made it sound like I owed you a favor. Who the hell do you think you are?...

Your damn Keyword isn't maintenance at all—it's deception, isn't it? Dug had once again stirred Feng Jiu's anger, and he was about to strike back.

Then, his heart suddenly trembled as a possibility occurred to him.

Fraud!

Dug's Keyword was fraud, or deception...

From the very beginning, every word and action of his had been a lie. Deception—could achieve the same restorative effect.

Damn! I'd been careless! Only someone as muddleheaded as me would have believed his Keyword was maintenance from the start...

Fuck! This bastard must have specialized in Keywords like fraud at school. He used them so skillfully that he had probably even awakened an advanced skill.

Otherwise.

Given his personality, when Feng Qi asked him about the layout of Feng Manor, he should have planted a few traps instead of revealing everything without reservation...

When had things spiraled out of control? When he planned to use himself as bait to lure Feng Qi into killing him?

No.

It was after Feng Qi fed him blood that his guard against him suddenly dropped.

Feng Jiu sucked in a cold breath. Looking at Dug again, he forced himself to calm down and carefully assess the situation.

At this point.

Feng Qi had already grown powerful. If he wanted to survive in the Simulation Arena, he would probably have to play along with him for now. To get rid of Feng Qi, he first had to find out his true Keyword and prescribe the right remedy.

He secretly glanced around and saw the contempt on the Feng Family members' faces. He sneered inwardly. This guy was far too confident. Natives weren't that easy to fool. The school repeatedly stressed not revealing Keywords to natives—did he think they said that for fun? It was a lesson learned through losses on the Alien Battlefield...

That idiot, even if he wanted to fool the Feng Family, he should have waited until he had grown stronger! The weak had no voice. Why would they listen to him? A story about a Heavenly Demon invasion riddled with holes would fall apart the moment they found a few contestants to verify it!...

"Seventh Master, do all Heavenly Demons possess miraculous abilities like the two of you?" Feng Shiren stroked his beard and asked.

"Patriarch, the Demon Realm is barren, and everyone there is a Heavenly Demon. Even if one wanted to make use of one's abilities, it would be difficult, since everyone was more or less the same. But things are different in the human world. There are many people here and abundant resources. Heavenly Demons have room to grow, so naturally, they can do anything. That is why Heavenly Demons come to the human world even knowing they will lose immortality. This land is simply too suitable for Heavenly Demons to survive in. As for miraculous abilities, of course we have them..."

Dug had a Third Eye. He could naturally see what Feng Jiu saw, and after his five senses had sharpened, he saw even more clearly than others.

Sacrifice for Righteousness could only lower others' guard; it could not lower their intelligence.

Still, that did not stop him from continuing to fabricate his story. All he needed was for his words and actions to match his Keyword so that he could grow rapidly.

"If Heavenly Demons can do anything, as Seventh Master says, then once they grow powerful, will this world belong to Heavenly Demons or to us?" Feng Yunjie asked.

"Third Young Master worries too much. How many Heavenly Demons are there? Each has their own weaknesses, and after taking possession of a body, Heavenly Demons depend on human bodies and lose their undying nature. How could they control the human world?" Dug said. "Take Feng Jiu, for example. Cut off his food supply, and he will remain weak. He could even starve to death. As long as you grasp a Heavenly Demon's weakness, you can control them and use them for yourself..."

Idiot!

After being backstabbed again, Feng Jiu glanced at Dug, then fixed his gaze on his nose and his mind on his heart. He endured it!

He wanted to see how Dug would wrap this up in the end.

"I heard Ninth Master mention before that you also have teachers. Is the Demon Realm like the human world?" Feng Yunjie continued probing Dug for information.

"Of course. Without teachers, how could there be inheritance?" Dug smiled. "We have a world of our own as well. Heavenly Demons do not appear out of thin air. We also have to learn how to survive in other worlds..."

"Seventh Master, aren't you afraid of inviting the Heavenly Demons' retaliation by selling us their secrets?" Feng Shiyi asked.

"Heavenly Demons have different attributes, and some attributes even counter one another. Fighting and competing in the Demon Realm are common occurrences. We were never on good terms to begin with, so how can this be called betrayal?" Dug turned to look at Feng Jiu and smiled. "Besides, my attribute is maintenance. I can only grow by maintaining others. Compared to my own growth, what do the freedom of other Heavenly Demons have to do with me? Finding them a peaceful land can also be considered fulfilling my duty to my own kind..."

As he spoke.

He took a moment to open his personal profile and glance at it.

In that short time, the rankings had changed again. The number had become 108/860.

More than seventy contestants had disappeared from the Simulation Arena. Dug had no idea how they had been eliminated, and it made him even more alert. This game was truly cruel...

Of course, there was good news as well. His ranking had risen by more than seventy places. He did not know how the individual rankings were calculated, and he was still far from the top ten, but his rapidly rising rank gave Dug hope.

"Patriarch, make your decision!" Dug continued to beguile him. "Most Heavenly Demons have only just entered the world and are still weak, so they are hiding themselves. Once they grow stronger, recruiting them will become immensely difficult. Once other sects discover the value of Heavenly Demons, we will have no chance left."

Cough! Feng Shiren coughed again and shook his head. "Seventh Master, I know you have the Feng Family's interests at heart, but the Feng Family has little reputation in the martial world. If word of recruiting Heavenly Demons gets out, it may bring disaster upon the family. I know Seventh Master is sincere, but the Feng Family is too small. Let us discuss this matter another day. Why don't the two of you tell me more about the Demon Realm, so I can gain a preliminary understanding of Heavenly Demons?"

Dug looked at Feng Shiren and fell silent for a moment. "Patriarch, perhaps you think we are weak right now and cannot offer the Feng Family much help. Or perhaps you fear that Heavenly Demons will grow beyond control and eventually turn on the Feng Family. But throughout history, opportunities have always belonged to those who are prepared. The Patriarch only wants the Feng Family to remain safe and stable, but have you considered this? Once Heavenly Demons are used by others, will there still be a place for the Feng Family in the martial world? Take a step back—if others use Heavenly Demons to swallow up the Feng Family, what will the Feng Family rely on to resist? Its disciples?"

Old Fourth of the Feng Family, Feng Yunlu, let out a scornful laugh. "You do nothing but boast. Weak as you are, can you really stir up any waves? I alone could beat ten of you."

"Weak?" Dug froze for a moment. "Patriarch, please seal my Internal Energy."

"No need. I have already examined you. Your Dantian has ruptured, and your Internal Energy has long since dispersed." Feng Shiyi suddenly said.

Damn! Dug froze, then cursed inwardly. No wonder the other sparring partners all had Martial Arts while he could not sense a trace of Internal Energy. So this was the reason.

Fuck.

It seemed he would have no chance to experience Martial Arts. He wondered whether there were any herbs or techniques that could repair a Dantian. By all rights, a ruptured Dantian was supposed to be the protagonist's treatment...

Crack! Dug casually chopped his palm down on the square table beside him.

The table shattered on impact.

Feng Shiren froze.

Feng Jiu's mouth twitched, and he instinctively swallowed. Good lord, this bastard was growing fast!

Feng Yunlu stood stunned.

Dug smiled. "Fourth Young Master, I have possessed Feng Qi for less than half an hour. Simply by maintaining the Feng Family, I have grown to this extent. If I truly help the Feng Family rise to greatness, even I do not know how much power I will gain. Do you still think Heavenly Demons are weak?"

Feng Shiren rose and walked over to Feng Qi. He grabbed his wrist and placed his fingers on his pulse. A moment later, he raised his head and looked at Dug in astonishment. "The Dantian is as good as new, yet his Internal Energy has indeed completely vanished."

The moment those words came out.

The crowd erupted.

Feng Shiyi rushed over in a few steps, seized Dug's pulse, and carefully examined him. In disbelief, he said, "How is that possible? Heavenly Demons can even repair a ruptured Dantian?"

The Dantian had actually been repaired. The Keyword was truly powerful!

Dug was delighted. He looked around at everyone and smiled. "Gentlemen, do you still underestimate Heavenly Demons? My attribute is maintenance. It is extremely difficult to use, and I must sincerely consider the other party's interests to grow. Even so, I can grow this quickly. What about Heavenly Demons like Feng Jiu, who can grow just by eating, or those whose simple attributes allow them to grow? Once they become powerful, can the Feng Family truly stand against them?"

Seeing the Feng Family members lost in thought, Dug struck while the iron was hot. "Patriarch, the Feng Family may choose not to use Heavenly Demons, but it absolutely cannot afford to lack them. Martial clans grow powerful by relying on Martial Arts manuals. If the Feng Family had a group of Heavenly Demon retainers, would it still lack manuals? Perhaps before long, the Feng Family will become the next Qiao Family, and the so-called Martial Arts Convention will be hosted by the Feng Family."

He paused, and his voice suddenly rose. "Patriarch, this is a rare commodity worth hoarding."

A rare commodity worth hoarding?

Feng Shiren's pupils trembled. He abruptly looked at Dug. Clearly, he was tempted.

Fuck! Feng Jiu nearly bit his own tongue. Damn, he actually talked his way out of it. Could this guy be the one who came out of Elite Academy?