Theory of Extremes

"Wrong?" Feng Jiu froze and asked instinctively.

"Yes, wrong. Keyword's recovery ability is so powerful that it can even repair a ruptured dantian. You ate so much, yet your stomach still hurts. Do you think that's normal?" Dug asked.

"It is a little abnormal." Feng Jiu frowned.

"So, Ninth Brother, your understanding of Taotie is wrong." Dug looked at Feng Jiu. "Tell me, what does Taotie mean?"

"A vicious beast. Greed. Gluttony." Feng Jiu thought for a moment before answering.

"Exactly. Taotie is first and foremost a vicious beast; greed and gluttony come second," Dug said. "But what about you? When you thought of Taotie, you only thought of eating. Where was the viciousness? The beastly nature? They were completely absent. And greed, gluttony—what is greed? A huge appetite, never being satisfied. What is gluttony? Eating without restraint. Tell me, of Taotie's traits, which one have you achieved?"

"I..." Feng Jiu was struck speechless. For a long while, he could not say a word. Fine beads of sweat seeped across his forehead. So his understanding of Keyword had been so far off. Looking at Feng Qi's confident expression, the bitterness in his heart deepened. Was this the gap between them? "Ninth Brother, extremes. Only by taking everything to the extreme can one grow. Without madness, there is no life." Dug looked at Feng Jiu with a grave expression.

"Extremes?" Feng Jiu blinked and frowned, sinking into thought.

A moment later.

It was as though a flash of inspiration had crossed his mind. His eyes widened as he grasped the ultimate secret of the Simulation Arena.

He swallowed excitedly. Even the way he looked at Feng Qi had changed somewhat. Feng Qi had tormented him badly, but he really taught valuable lessons!

"That's right, extremes." Dug clenched his fists, his eyes blazing with fervor. "Take me, for example. I know we are competitors, yet I am still willing to tell you the secret to growth in order to protect your interests, without considering at all that you might betray me in the future. For your sake, I can give everything, even my life. This is protection taken to its extreme. Do you understand?"

"I understand." Feng Jiu took a deep breath and looked at Dug with a complicated expression. After a moment, seeming to make up his mind, he said, "Seventh Brother, don't worry. I won't betray you. What you've taught me will benefit me for the rest of my life. I know good from bad. I'm convinced. Rest assured, from now on, I'll do everything in my power to help you move forward."

"Ninth Brother, ours is a cooperative relationship. It isn't about who must assist whom. Only by supporting each other and growing together can we go farther. As I said before, when we fight side by side in the future, I hope you can trustingly leave your back to me." Dug looked at Feng Jiu with a smile in his eyes. "Now, have you still decided to take the medicine?"

"Not taking it." Feng Jiu smiled, his gaze gradually turning fervent. "I want to eat even more. Even if I can't eat anymore, I'll keep eating. Even if my stomach bursts, nothing can stop my desire to eat..."

"Exactly. That's the ruthlessness I want." Dug looked at Feng Jiu approvingly. "But you still need to take the medicine."

"Still take it?" Feng Jiu was confused again.

"Yes, take it. Eat digestive medicine while taking laxatives," Dug said. "You must keep your stomach and intestines emptied at all times to maintain a vigorous appetite."

"Laxatives?" Feng Jiu swallowed. He imagined himself squatting over a latrine pit, stuffing food into his mouth, and his face instantly turned deathly pale.

He felt that Taotie was not supposed to be used this way.

But at this moment, Dug had completely led him along. His mind was filled with the madness of extremes, and he could not find any flaw in Dug's words!

Thinking of the gap between himself and Dug, he gritted his teeth. "Fine, I'll take them."

Nearby.

Feng Qi's remarks left the two Feng Yunming brothers with numb scalps and goosebumps all over their bodies.

Feng Yunming swallowed hard, moistening his parched throat. So this was what they called demonic nature!

Too ruthless! No wonder Feng Qi had proposed such a plan for the Feng Family. He had taken protection to its extreme.

No wonder they had always felt Feng Qi was overly eager and awkward in both words and actions. It had not been his fault. They had been using human standards to judge a Heavenly Demon! They had been wrong!

They had to notify the family head of this as soon as possible, lest he make a wrong decision...

After advising Feng Jiu, Dug turned to the Feng Yunming brothers. "First Young Master, Fourth Young Master, don't just listen to me talk about Feng Jiu. In truth, the Feng Family has made the same mistake as him!"

"What?" Feng Yunming froze.

"If martial artists wish to achieve something, they must first nurture a measure of malice in their hearts," Dug said. "What the Feng Family's many disciples lack is precisely that measure of malice. Not only do they lack malice, they also lack the courage to go out into the world, as well as the fighting spirit to struggle and kill.

"The Martial Arts Convention is about to begin, yet Third Young Master's method of training is sparring with the family's practice partners.

"The practice partners' contracts belong to the Feng Family. They eat the Feng Family's food and practice the Feng Family's martial arts. Never mind that their skills are inferior to Third Young Master's—if they were stronger, would they dare injure Third Young Master? How is such sparring any different from striking a wooden dummy? Without experience in life-and-death combat and without seeing the martial arts of countless schools, how could he possibly win once he steps onto the arena?"

Feng Yunming fell silent. He opened his mouth, wanting to argue, but could find nothing to refute. In the end, he could only sigh. "Seventh Master's lesson is correct."

"You make it sound easy. The Feng Family has no top-tier martial arts. What gives us the right to go outside and fight others?" Feng Yunlu said indignantly.

"I dare go out and seize manuals for the Feng Family. Does Fourth Young Master dare practice them?" Dug provoked him.

"If you dare seize them, I dare practice them." Feng Yunlu puffed out his chest, refusing to yield.

"Good. As expected, the Feng Family still has men of spirit. This is the Feng Family's hope. My efforts to protect the Feng Family have not been in vain." Dug's eyes lit up, and he clapped his hands. "For Fourth Young Master's spirit, even if the family head refuses, even if I turn this martial world upside down, even if it costs me my old life, I will seize several top-tier manuals for you..."

Feng Yunlu nodded heavily and clenched his fists excitedly. "Good. I'll wait for that day."

Seeing his fourth brother become utterly carried away by a few words, Feng Yunming shook his head and cupped his hands. "Seventh Master, rest here for now. I'll find Physician Hu to prepare some digestive medicine and laxatives for Ninth Master, then prepare food for Ninth Master..."

Watching Feng Yunming leave under the pretext of an errand, Dug naturally knew his patch had worked. He smiled and waved his hand. "Go and return quickly."

"Fourth Brother, attend to the two masters properly. Don't run around." Feng Yunming gave Feng Yunlu one last instruction before pushing open the door and hurrying away.

Dug returned to his chair and sat down. Looking at Feng Yunlu's youthful face, he said, "Fourth Young Master, tell us about the sects around here. I believe the family head will certainly make the most correct decision. We should prepare in advance and see which family would be suitable to strike first..."

Feng Yunlu did not understand why Dug was saying the matter was settled. After thinking for a moment, he sighed. "Seventh Master, you can't blame the Feng Family for lacking spirit. The Feng Family is truly too weak. The nearest to us is the Iron Palm Gang. The Iron Palm Gang controls the docks and water transport trade in two provinces. They have money when they need money and men when they need men. Over the years, they have suppressed the Feng Family far too severely.

"The Iron Palm Gang's leader, Qiu Yuanlang, made his name throughout the land with his Iron Sand Palm and is a famous expert in the world. Every time the Qiao Family Sacred Land opens, the Iron Palm Gang sends at least three people inside.

"Six years ago, Qiu Muqian of the Iron Palm Gang brought out a Lightness Skill called 'Eight Steps Chasing Cicada' from the Qiao Family Sacred Land. It made up for the Iron Palm Gang's weakness in movement techniques and gave their martial arts wings. After that, we dared provoke them even less.

"This time, the Iron Palm Gang's participant in the Martial Arts Convention is Qiu Yuanlang's fifth son, Qiu Feibao. His pair of iron palms have been trained to perfection. One strike will snap tendons and break bones. Third Brother is afraid of encountering him. It would be best if we could cripple him in advance..."

In the council hall.

Feng Shiren looked around at everyone and asked, "Second Brother, how much of this Heavenly Demon matter do you think is true, and how much false?"

Feng Shiyi shook his head. "Eldest Brother, this matter is too strange. I cannot distinguish truth from falsehood. Elder Brother can decide everything."

Feng Yunjie could not sit still in his chair. Looking at his calm father, he suddenly stood up and said, "Father, I think we can give it a try. What if it succeeds?"

"Hm?" Feng Shiren frowned at Feng Yunjie.

Feng Yunjie gritted his teeth. "Twenty-eight years ago, the 'Heavenly Fox True Scripture' appeared. The major sects of the martial world fought over it until blood flowed like rivers. In the end, the scripture fell into Yang Luo's hands. Relying on the martial arts within it, he killed until the Three Gates and Five Sects shut their doors and hid away, founding the Heavenly Fox Sect by himself. At the time, he was merely an insignificant little beggar from the Beggar Gang.

"That time, we did not contend.

"Fifteen years ago, the Fist King's Armory was unearthed. The major sects fought until their heads were bloodied over Millennium Stone Marrow, yet we did not contend again. In the end, Tong Le of the Five Tigers Sect swallowed the stone marrow. A mere twenty-year-old brat suddenly gained sixty years of Internal Energy. With that Internal Energy, he brought a 'Mandarin Duck Saber Manual' out of the Qiao Family Sacred Land. In only a few years, the once insignificant Five Tigers Sect became a first-rate sect.

"Now Heavenly Demons have descended, and two Heavenly Demons have appeared in the Feng Family. With such a heaven-sent opportunity, if we still do not contend, when will the Feng Family ever rise? Father, I have a feeling that this descent of Heavenly Demons may stir up monstrous bloodshed in the martial world. It was one thing not to contend the previous two times. If we do not contend this time either, I fear the Feng Family truly will suffer the unprovoked disaster Feng Qi spoke of."

Feng Shiren frowned. "Third Son, you believe Feng Qi's words?"

"Father, whether we believe him or not, we only need to send people out to look. As long as we find a third Heavenly Demon, we will naturally know at a glance whether it is true or false."

"I am not as stubborn as you think. That was what I intended to do in the first place." Feng Shiren nodded. "We will verify it first, then act afterward. Feng Qi is too aggressive; it always leaves me uneasy. If what Feng Qi says is true, we must also find a way in advance to control those Heavenly Demons..."

"Father, there's no need to verify it. When a decision must be made, make it. If we delay for a few days, I fear we truly won't even get any soup." A voice came from outside. Feng Yunming strode into the council hall. "Father, Second Uncle, I learned the true secret of the Heavenly Demons from Feng Qi. Our direction was wrong."

"What direction was wrong?" Feng Shiren asked.

Feng Yunming caught his breath and explained Dug's Theory of Extremes in the briefest possible terms. Looking at the stunned crowd in the hall, he gave a bitter smile. "Father, they are Heavenly Demons, not people of this age. We should not judge them by ordinary ways of thinking. Heavenly Demons are simply a group of madmen who will stop at nothing in order to grow..."