Mentor, You're Bullying Us Too Much

Amid a burst of rapid clattering, the Little Puppets controlled by Jun Ziyi and Man Zhongli had already begun a fierce battle within that tiny space.

Though there was a gap in their actual strength, when controlling puppets, the spiritual energy their "joints" could bear had a maximum limit. Thus, the combat strength they could bring out was nearly equal.

Lu Feng narrowed his eyes as he watched. He was quite satisfied with their adaptability. After dozens of exchanges, neither had made any obvious mistakes or exposed any glaring openings in guiding and controlling their puppets.

"Sister Zi Yi, are you going easy on me?" Man Zhongli smiled provocatively at Jun Ziyi. "Why haven't you given your Little Puppet the Jade Sword? I'm about to use my fist technique."

At that moment, the puppet Jun Ziyi controlled was no different from Man Zhongli's. They had merely been probing and exchanging blows with simple punches and kicks, neither having equipped their puppet with the Jade Sword.

"If that's the case, don't say your sister is bullying you," Jun Ziyi said with a wicked smile. She flicked out the small Jade Sword held in her other hand, while the puppet under her control leapt up and connected with it seamlessly.

Man Zhongli smiled proudly, utterly unconcerned. He had already prepared to channel and control the Overlord's Might Fist. The moment Jun Ziyi landed with her sword, he would launch his attack.

Yet he had not expected Jun Ziyi's sword flick to be part of her plan all along. After catching the sword midair, her puppet immediately spun around and thrust toward the puppet controlled by Man Zhongli.

"Nearing Immortality Nine Forms—Emperor Falls to the Mortal Realm!"

Though Jun Ziyi often practiced this sword technique, she had never used this particular move before. Man Zhongli and the others were therefore utterly unfamiliar with it.

Given Jun Ziyi's strength, it would have been difficult for her to execute this diving sword strike after stepping through the air before reaching the Heaven Soul Realm. But through the Little Puppet, with this high-to-low control, she could use it with ease.

Man Zhongli's expression turned grave. Not only the puppet in his hand, but even he himself standing beside it felt immense pressure from this move.

Had they been fighting in person, he might have had some confidence in dodging it. But under the present circumstances, he was restricted by the circle on the field, and the puppet's speed could hardly be brought into play beneath such pressure.

There was nowhere to evade!

At that critical instant, Man Zhongli suddenly had an idea. Sensing that the wooden table was hollow, he immediately controlled his puppet to stomp down hard. Rather than meeting Jun Ziyi's attack, it threw a punch at the wooden table.

Thud~

After a muffled sound, a small hole was forcibly blasted through the tabletop—just large enough for the puppet controlled by Man Zhongli to slip through.

The sudden turn of events startled Jun Ziyi. The spiritual energy controlling her puppet veered slightly, and the force of her strike immediately weakened by more than half.

Her attack missed, leaving only deep slashes across the wooden table.

Jun Ziyi protested, "You're cheating! What kind of skill is hiding under the table?"

"Hehe~ all's fair in war," Man Zhongli said with a smug, roguish grin. "I haven't left the circle yet. You'd better watch out."

Looking over, they saw that the puppet controlled by Man Zhongli was indeed hanging beneath that hole.

As soon as he spoke, it climbed back up through the hole and charged straight at Jun Ziyi.

No fist shadow gathered around the puppet's fist, but both its stance and force carried the might of the Overlord's Might Fist.

Jun Ziyi reacted at once, controlling her puppet to block with its sword.

In her view, the punch Man Zhongli had hastily gathered could not possibly have been very powerful. She should have been able to block it easily. Yet when she truly came into contact with that fist force, her entire body jolted.

"Such tremendous force!"

Jun Ziyi's puppet had already been at the edge of the circle. Struck by that sudden immense force, it could not stop itself from retreating and fell out of the circle before it could brace itself.

Everyone stared wide-eyed at the sight.

"Fatty, that strength of yours..."

"Why does it suddenly seem so much stronger than before?"

"Hehe~" Man Zhongli proudly raised his head and said gratefully, "It's a secret art taught by Mentor. It can enhance the power I draw from my Strength Soul. How about that? Impressive, right?"

The corners of Lu Feng's lips lifted slightly. What Man Zhongli had used was precisely the Great Cycle Subduing Demons Art. Though he had only cultivated the introductory method of channeling energy, it had already given him a considerable boost.

Because Lu Feng had cautioned and instructed him beforehand, Man Zhongli had deliberately passed this technique off as a secret art.

Jun Ziyi silently reviewed the battle. Realizing that her loss stemmed from underestimating Man Zhongli's strength, she cried out unhappily, "I refuse to accept this! I was careless just now. Let's do it again!"

Man Zhongli grinned shamelessly. "No more. If we fight again, you'll definitely teach me a fierce lesson. Haha... being able to beat Third Sister once is already enough for me to brag about for the rest of my life."

Everyone understood that Man Zhongli was not saying this solely to flatter her and beg for mercy. He was genuinely conceding. His earlier victory had been entirely due to Jun Ziyi's carelessness and her incomplete adaptation to the puppet.

After this battle, gaining the upper hand again would be difficult.

Jun Ziyi was so angry that her cheeks puffed up. She glared viciously at Man Zhongli, but seeing that he refused to fight again no matter what, she raised her brows and turned toward Shao Yang and Zhao Yan.

"You're all from the same tent. If he won't do it, then you two get up here!"

With those words, that ordinary duel was quietly elevated into a grand contest between the men's and women's camps.

Shao Yue and Ning Xiang immediately stepped up beside Jun Ziyi, and the three united on the same front.

Shao Yang looked at Man Zhongli and Zhao Yan, his face filled with helplessness. He could only turn a pleading gaze toward Lu Feng.

Lu Feng shrugged and smiled as though there was nothing he could do. He had no intention of objecting to such a "friendly" group spar.

Shao Yang and the others were no longer children. It was time they understood that women and petty men were the hardest to keep content.

Listening to the commotion inside from beyond the curtain, Qian Xin also understood Mentor's intention behind these arrangements. He had specifically chosen the day she was responsible for driving the carriage, clearly taking into account that, as an array master, she was not skilled in this kind of combat.

While touched inside, she also joined Lu Feng's side and cheered for Jun Ziyi and the others with glee at their misfortune.

Under Jun Ziyi's repeated challenges, along with Lu Feng turning a blind eye, Shao Yang could only agree with gritted teeth.

To prevent another trick like Man Zhongli's, Jun Ziyi deliberately placed a thick Fine Iron Plate over the wooden table in the center, making the "battlefield" much sturdier.

From one-on-one duels...

To three-on-three team battles...

It could be said that their journey on the second day never had a moment of peace. Light sounds of fighting continually came from within the carriage.

In the end, with Shao Yang secretly looking after the women's pride, he, Zhao Yan, and Man Zhongli together achieved the feat of accidentally losing three extra matches.

Only then did Jun Ziyi's resentment truly subside.

During that time, Lu Feng also saw the spear technique Shao Yang had newly learned in the Underground Secret Realm through the puppet he controlled. Though it was far inferior to the Heaven's Will Four Absolute Spears, its might was considerably stronger than the Day Hidden Spear Technique, and it suited Shao Yang's current strength quite well.

There was still some time before night fell, yet Jun Ziyi, having just tasted Puppet Battle, could not suppress the itch in her hands. Especially after "luckily" defeating Shao Yang by a move or two, her fighting spirit became even fiercer. But she did not wish to fight her companions again.

So she set her sights on Lu Feng.

"Mentor~" Jun Ziyi gave Lu Feng a roguish smile. "How about you play a round with me?"

"Count me in~" Shao Yang chimed in.

"Me too~" Man Zhongli raised his hand as well.

Lu Feng laughed. "What? Have you become addicted to fighting?"

"Fine. I'll have a proper match with you all."

Lu Feng took out a piece of Rough Jade and held it in his hand. "Will you come at me together, or take turns?"

Jun Ziyi scrutinized the Rough Jade in Lu Feng's palm suspiciously. "Mentor, what are you doing with that? Could this jade help you control the puppets better?"

As she spoke, she plucked the Rough Jade from Lu Feng's hand and secretly tried controlling a puppet with it.

Seeing the difference in controlling the puppet before and after, Jun Ziyi's face flushed. "Mentor... controlling a puppet through this Rough Jade is clearly half a beat slower. Are you really planning to fight us while holding it?"

Lu Feng smiled calmly. "You said it yourself. I am your mentor, after all. I cannot bully you."

"I'll go first," Jun Ziyi said eagerly. "In this kind of battle, the puppets' strength won't differ much. With the Rough Jade affecting Mentor, perhaps... I might have a chance to beat you once. None of you are allowed to steal this from me."

Shao Yang held back a laugh and nodded sympathetically at Jun Ziyi. He already understood his mentor's temperament well. Since Lu Feng could say such words, he surely had absolute confidence. The outcome was obvious.

"Are you sure you won't come together?" Seeing that Jun Ziyi had already controlled her puppet onto the fighting platform, Lu Feng took out another piece of Rough Jade.

"It's only interesting if I win in a one-on-one fight," Jun Ziyi declared cheerfully. But when she saw Lu Feng grasp another piece of Rough Jade, she pouted. "Mentor, you're bullying us too much. Don't blame it on anyone else if you lose!"

One piece of Rough Jade made him half a beat slower. Two pieces were certainly not as simple as merely slowing him by one full beat.

Though Jun Ziyi complained aloud, inwardly she gained even more confidence in this battle.

Swish, swish, swish~

Faint glimmers and sword shadows flashed across the Little Iron Table.

Jun Ziyi controlled her Little Puppet to launch wave after wave of attacks at the puppet controlled by Lu Feng, but every one of them was deftly evaded.

"Oh, come on, Mentor, stop dodging all the time!" Jun Ziyi stomped her feet in anger, yet she could do absolutely nothing to Lu Feng.

From the moment she attacked, she had sensed that something was amiss. Though the puppet Lu Feng controlled was not swift, every move it made seemed to have anticipated her actions. Each time, it cleverly evaded her attacks at the very limit.

It was indeed one or two beats slower, but his insight into the battle and his ability to anticipate and counter every move more than made up for that flaw.

As the battle continued, Jun Ziyi's expression suddenly became focused. In a flash of realization, she saw Lu Feng's intention.

"Mentor... is teaching us advanced combat techniques!"

The others saw it as well, and all of them focused intently on the table. Even Ruo Shui and Qian Xin, who was driving the carriage, paused at this moment and leaned over to watch carefully.