In an area nearly four thousand li across, he was going to cross the Black River with his physical body?
Some people were shaken to the core. Was Chen Fusheng's nerve too big? Even some of the hundred-strong disciples felt their skin and bones turn cold. How was this any different from courting death?
"Have you gone mad?" Even Ling Yao felt afraid. Who could have imagined that Chen Fusheng would pull this in the end?
His origins were so noble, yet now he had tied his head to his belt and was gambling his life against a mud-legged commoner. What was he playing at?
"Hahahaha!"
Xu Changfeng's laughter rang out. "Three thousand five hundred li! Any disciple of my Star Gazing Manor who dares to cross the Black River with his physical body, come over for a swimming test. Very good, very good. Get ready at once!"
"Your Highness..." Ling Yao was completely flustered.
Xu Changfeng thought Xuan Yuanchang was going to forcibly rewrite the rules of the competition, giving Chen Fusheng an excuse to avoid the battle. However, the result was not what he wanted.
"A'Da, you haven't stretched your limbs in quite some time either."
Xuan Yuanchang drank his wine indifferently, while the four guards behind him each had an assigned number. A'Da was the subordinate he valued most.
"To share Your Highness's burdens is this subordinate's honor."
A'Da's voice was heavy. He carried a broad bronze saber on his back and waited until he had finished removing his armor. His bronze-colored body gleamed with a jade-like luster in the night, radiating terrifying physical pressure.
The elite disciples from every side were aghast. This physique was frightening indeed, glittering like bronze-colored crystal in the night.
Xu Changfeng said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, aren't you overestimating my Star Gazing Manor's Outer Sect Disciple? Your guard is at the peak of the Other Shore Realm and possesses a Superior Sunflower Jade Body. How can he possibly match him?"
"A Superior Sunflower Jade Body!"
Everyone cried out in shock. The Sunflower Jade Body was a water-attributed physique, perfectly at home in the Black River and capable of multiplying one's battle prowess. It was inferior only to a Supreme Treasure Body!
"The match hasn't even begun, and the Palace Master has already backed down? If you ask me, we should begin as soon as possible. Surely you don't intend to drag this out any longer. Or perhaps you can spare yourselves the trouble and simply admit defeat," Xuan Yuanchang replied.
Xu Changfeng was frantic with worry. He secretly transmitted his voice to Chen Fusheng, telling him to refuse.
He had already thought of the reason: their realms were unequal.
Yet Chen Fusheng gave no response. This left Xu Changfeng sitting down in silence. He did not believe Chen Fusheng was reckless by nature. Could this boy still bring him another pleasant surprise?
A'Da strode over with heavy steps. His body was covered in bulging muscles, his physique glistening smooth and oily, making many female disciples' hearts race.
"Boy, how about three hundred li?"
The deck fell deathly silent. Three hundred li—could he even make it back alive?
Wang Lie's head felt ready to split apart. That made six hundred li there and back. Even if he could avoid the demonic beasts, would he have enough strength to return?
"I want to change the distance," Chen Fusheng said.
"Chen Fusheng, why don't you keep acting arrogantly? Or perhaps you can spare yourself the trouble and continue competing with me in fishing!" Ling Yao laughed heartily.
"I don't compete with deadbeats."
Chen Fusheng sneered. Many disciples nodded instinctively, while even more were left dumbfounded. Ling Yao had become a deadbeat?
Ling Yao's body swayed slightly. His reputation was gone?
"How do you want to change it? Don't tell me you're thinking of eighty li. You won't even give me a chance to warm up?" A'Da lowered his head and looked down at Chen Fusheng, his eyes filled with brutality and gloom.
"Brother, Chen Fusheng is in the Star Guiding Realm, while you're in the Other Shore Realm and possess a Superior Treasure Body. What does shortening the distance matter?" Wang Dapang spoke up.
"Heh. Since I've made a move, how could I take advantage of you children? I'll naturally suppress my strength to the Star Guiding Realm. I ask the Palace Master to take action."
A'Da said, "But changing it to one hundred li would hardly be a challenge. His Highness has even brought out the Gathering Star Pearl; he doesn't have time to watch such petty squabbling."
"According to the river markers, the Flood Dragon Ship is currently at three thousand six hundred and twenty li."
Chen Fusheng took out the Black River Map and said, "There's an unnamed island in the four-thousand-li region. Since you and I are competing in swimming, there should at least be a finish line, right?"
"If you ask me, three hundred and eighty li would be easier to calculate. You have no objections, do you?"
"..." The entire crowd.
Xuan Yuanchang abruptly stood up and coldly looked down at the servant boy studying the Black River Map. "Stop the ship!"
He was growing irritated. Chen Fusheng actually had the nerve to think about winning? Did these commoners not know who ruled Tian Yuan Kingdom?
"Stop the ship for me!"
Xu Changfeng stepped onto the Black River, his figure becoming majestic. The instant his foot landed, monstrous waves poured back into the sky. The river churned violently, and everything within dozens of li trembled.
The world cried out in astonishment. How many years had it been since the Palace Master had displayed his might?
Xu Changfeng's domineering aura burst forth, displaying his strength and drawing countless cheers. The Fourth Realm was ultimately still the Fourth Realm.
"Your Highness, let's make the trip together."
Xu Changfeng's laughter became bold and heroic. A trace of gloom flashed through Xuan Yuanchang's eyes. He was ultimately at the Peak Sequence of the Three Realms, and could only barely keep up by using treasures.
They would now head to the finish line and place their respective tokens there. Whoever retrieved his token first would win.
To prevent cheating, the referee also had to collect their storage bags and make them change into designated clothing, ensuring fairness and impartiality.
Most importantly, the area had to be cleared to prevent anyone from secretly helping them. A'Da's cultivation also had to be sealed.
"Boy, there will be no good outcome from provoking me." A'Da's face was gloomy. His Highness had already lost the upper hand before the match even began.
"I only suggested it because it would be easier to calculate. If you have an objection, you're welcome to voice it." Chen Fusheng shook his head with a laugh.
"You don't know the height of the heavens or the depth of the earth." A'Da could not be bothered to say anything more.
"Look, they're going six hundred li there and back! They've both returned in less than the time it takes an incense stick to burn!"
Everyone's emotions were stirred up. The side betting was blazing hot, and the scale of the wealth involved was astonishing. Thousands of people had placed bets totaling more than a million star stones.
"You're still betting? You bet on them all?" Wang Lie glanced at Liu Bai. "I'll let it go this time. I won't chop off your dog paws."
"The fourth brother hasn't come to work these past few days. I'll call the shots and bet his entire share."
More and more Star Masters were becoming involved in this gamble. But no matter what trump card Chen Fusheng possessed, surely he could not possibly defeat a Superior Treasure Body?
Once the area had been cleared, the scene fell somewhat silent.
"Begin!" The referee's low voice echoed out.
"Croak, croak!"
A strange sound suddenly erupted from A'Da's chest, carrying the piercing force of a sharp sword and making some disciples cover their ears.
"That's... the Toad Skill!"
"This isn't a Star Skill. It's a body-tempering method—in precise terms, a miscellaneous art. It gathers the body's force and focuses on erupting it in an instant."
"Chen Fusheng is going to suffer terribly. With a Superior Treasure Body and the Toad Skill, he can swim at astonishing speed within the Black River!"
Boom!
A'Da's body sprang into the air. His cheeks puffed up high, and the air he blew out swept forth like a gale crossing the land.
He plunged into the Black River like a mountain crashing down, churning up vast waves before rumbling away into the distance.
Chen Fusheng, meanwhile, seemed to have sunk into the sea without a trace. Not the slightest movement came from him, leaving everyone staring at one another.
Xuan Yuanchang frowned. Chen Fusheng had slipped away like a nimble serpent.
"No wonder this boy dared to compete in swimming. He makes no sound in the river, so he's much less dangerous."
Xu Changfeng also glanced at Xuan Yuanchang. "It seems Chen Fusheng's movement technique is better suited to survival."
"He can't win! If Palace Master Changfeng is worried, you may as well follow and take a look." Xuan Yuanchang was certain of victory.
Xu Changfeng did not know whether Xuan Yuanchang was bluffing or truly possessed a sure-kill technique. He kept a grim face and gave no response.
A swimming contest sounded somewhat cruel. Either they won, were buried in the Black River, or returned alive. Even if they fought one another along the way, it would still be within the rules!
Chen Fusheng swam merrily through the water, activating the Purple Python Diagram to probe his surroundings.
"A large school of fish. There are spirit fish!"
Chen Fusheng ignored it. His storage bag had limited space, and he could not defeat a large school of fish either—unless he shook out the Eight Extremes Star Light Net.
He also noticed A'Da's trail and realized that, with his current Physical Roots combined with the Purple Python Diagram, his perception was far more powerful than when he had searched for the Fish King.
After swimming for nearly half an hour, Chen Fusheng suddenly sensed a strand of indescribable icy material.
"Is it a spirit fish or something else? Its aura is somewhat frightening, but it's definitely a treasure."
Noticing that A'Da was still five or six li away, Chen Fusheng turned and swam downward. His legs began to kick as he descended one thousand zhang, two thousand zhang... As he went deeper, the water pressure grew increasingly intense.
Chen Fusheng's body moved like a purple python as he struggled toward his target.
Fortunately, the place where the icy material lay was not the riverbed. Among the reefs and aquatic grass, a strange silver little plant had taken root.
"A spirit herb—the Frost Ice Grass?"
Chen Fusheng was overjoyed. The Frost Ice Grass was a precious spirit herb used to refine Star Pills. It grew one inch taller every hundred years, and this particular plant had reached eight hundred years of maturity.
Just as he was about to pull out the Frost Ice Grass, his keen physical senses made every hair on his body stand on end.
Chen Fusheng kicked off with both legs and swiftly dodged. A streak of cold light flashed past his cheek, slicing open his skin and bringing a searing pain.
He could not see clearly what kind of monster had attacked him. It had been lurking within the aquatic grass, and the exposed claws had nearly torn his head apart.
Chen Fusheng's face darkened. There was a Hunter near the Frost Ice Grass!
"I was careless. Although the Purple Python Diagram has granted me a talent, I have a hard time detecting demonic beasts in a dormant state."
By the time he swam back up, A'Da's trail had vanished. He quickly headed toward the island, silently crossing several hundred li of the Black River without tiring.
As he neared the target, he still saw no sign of A'Da.
A'Da's speed shouldn't be this slow. Could he have already reached the island?
Chen Fusheng was astonished. Could A'Da's speed truly be that much greater than his own?
"There is always someone beyond the person, and skies beyond the sky. But with the Flood Dragon Lord in hand, I call the shots in the Ten Thousand Li Black River."
Chen Fusheng acted without the slightest hesitation and activated the Flood Dragon Diagram!
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