Rare Goods Can Be Hoarded

"No matter how eloquently you spin it, it's still betrayal." Feng Jiu cut Du Ge off and said, "Patriarch, don't believe him. Heavenly Demons are cunning—they can disguise their Keywords. Don't listen to what he says; watch what he does. A Heavenly Demon like me, who grows by eating, is the easiest kind to control..."

Having undercut Du Ge, Feng Jiu felt a surge of satisfaction, an inexplicable relief washing over him.

"Ninth Brother, you wound me deeply. You can insult my body, but you cannot slander my reputation." Du Ge shook his head and sighed. "Back then, it was you who proposed cooperation. Now that the situation is favorable, it's you targeting me again. Think about it—if I truly wanted to kill you, when I fed you my blood, the shard of tile would have already slit your throat. Why would I have brought Third Young Master and Second Master to see you, urged you to turn back, and brought you into the Feng Family?"

"..." Feng Jiu crossed his arms over his chest, staring coldly at Du Ge. "If you hadn't tortured me half to death, I might have believed that."

"Enough, I won't explain further. Ninth Brother torments me a thousand times, yet I still treat him like my first love." Du Ge looked at Feng Jiu, shook his head, turned to Feng Shiren, and clasped his hands in a formal bow. With a serious expression, he said, "Patriarch, please don't hold Feng Jiu's rashness against him. As the saying goes, 'Buy a horse bone with a thousand gold.' If even a Heavenly Demon like Feng Jiu can be welcomed as an honored guest by the Feng Family, how could other Heavenly Demons not be tempted to join? Now that the Heavenly Demons have descended, the world has changed. We may be weak now, but in the future, whoever controls more Heavenly Demons will grow stronger and stronger, gaining more say in the martial world. Seize the advantage first, and you'll stay ahead at every step..."

With one speech, he defended both Feng Jiu and the Feng Family. Du Ge felt refreshed, his power seeming to have more than doubled. Every cell in his body brimmed with strength.

Refreshing!

Grow stronger and stronger?

Gain more say in the martial world?

Inside the Council Hall.

The Feng Family members looked at Du Ge as if he were a fool. What big talk!

The vast martial world—the Feng Family was merely a second-rate clan. They had no techniques, no prodigies. Dreaming of growing stronger was nothing but wishful thinking!

Rely on a few Heavenly Demons?

Seeing how easily you two were subdued, you're probably just blowing hot air!

What do you mean, 'a Heavenly Demon like me'?

What do you mean, 'Buy a horse bone with a thousand gold'?

I had already decided to join the Feng Family, and now you're making it sound like I owe you a favor?

Who do you think you are?

Your Keyword isn't 'Maintain'—it's 'Beguile,' isn't it?

Feng Jiu's anger flared again at Du Ge's words. He was about to retort.

Suddenly, his heart trembled as a possibility struck him.

Fraud!

Du Ge's Keyword was Fraud, or Deception...

From the very beginning, every word and action of his had been lies—deception could also achieve the same effect of recovery.

Damn!

He'd been careless!

Only because he'd lost his head had he believed the Keyword was 'Maintain' in the first place...

MMP!

That bastard must have studied Keywords like Fraud extensively in school, using them so skillfully that he'd probably even awakened an Advanced Skill.

Otherwise.

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

When had things spiraled out of control?

Was it when he planned to use himself as bait to lure and kill Feng Qi?

No.

It was after Feng Qi fed him blood—his guard had dropped instantly.

Feng Jiu drew a sharp breath, refocusing on Du Ge, forcing himself to calm down and analyze the situation carefully.

At this point.

Feng Qi had grown strong. To survive in the Simulation Field, he'd have to play along with him. To eliminate Feng Qi, he'd need to uncover his true Keyword and treat the root cause.

He secretly observed his surroundings, catching the contempt on the Feng Family members' faces. A cold laugh rose in his heart. This fool was too confident. Natives weren't that easy to fool. The school had repeatedly stressed not to expose Keywords to natives—did he think that was just talk? It was a lesson learned the hard way on the Alien Battlefield...

This idiot, even if he wanted to con the Feng Family, should have waited until he'd grown stronger!

The weak have no voice. Why would they listen to you?

A flawed story about a Heavenly Demon invasion—anyone who bothered to verify with a few contestants would see right through it!

"Seventh Master, do all Heavenly Demons possess such abilities as you two?" Feng Shiren stroked his beard and asked.

"Patriarch, the Demon Realm is barren, and everyone there is a Heavenly Demon. Their own attributes can't be fully utilized since everyone is more or less the same. But coming to the human world is different. With a large population and abundant resources, Heavenly Demons have room to grow, so naturally, they can do anything. That's why Heavenly Demons, knowing they'd lose immortality, still come to the human world—this land is too suited for their survival. As for abilities, of course, they exist..."

Du Ge had eyes in the back of his head. What Feng Jiu saw, he saw too, and with his heightened senses, he saw it even more clearly.

Sacrifice oneself for righteousness could lower others' guard, but it couldn't lower their intelligence.

However, that didn't stop him from continuing to spin his story. All he needed was for his words and actions to align with the Keyword, achieving the goal of rapid growth.

"As Seventh Master says, the Heavenly Demon is all-powerful. Then once the Heavenly Demon grows up, will this world belong to the Heavenly Demon, or to us?" Feng Yunjie asked.

"Third Young Master worries too much. How many Heavenly Demons are there? Each has their own weaknesses. Moreover, after Soul Possession, the Heavenly Demon relies on a human body, losing its immortal and indestructible nature. How could it possibly control the human world?" Du Ge said. "Take Feng Jiu, for example. Cut off his food supply, and he'll keep weakening until he starves to death. As long as we grasp the Heavenly Demon's weaknesses, we can control them and make them serve us..."

Fool!

Suffering another Backstab, Feng Jiu shot a glance at Du Ge, eyes watching his nose, nose watching his heart—he endured it!

He wanted to see how Du Ge would ultimately clean up this mess.

"I've heard Ninth Master mention before that you also have teachers. Is the Demon Realm the same as the human world?" Feng Yunjie continued to pry information from Du Ge.

"Of course. Without teachers, how could there be inheritance?" Du Ge smiled. "We're also a world. Heavenly Demons aren't born out of nowhere; they have to learn how to survive in other worlds..."

"Seventh Master sells out the Heavenly Demon's secrets to us—aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Heavenly Demons?" Feng Shiyi asked.

"Among Heavenly Demons, attributes differ, and some are even mutually opposed. Conflict and struggle are common in the Demon Realm; we're not on good terms to begin with, so how can this be called betrayal?" Du Ge glanced back at Feng Jiu and smiled. "Besides, my attribute is Maintenance. I can only grow by maintaining others. Compared to my own growth, what do I care about the freedom of other Heavenly Demons? Finding them a piece of paradise counts as fulfilling the bond of our kind..."

As he spoke.

He took a moment to open his personal profile and take a look.

In that short time, the ranking had changed again, the numbers now reading 108/860.

Over seventy more contestants had been eliminated from the Simulation Field. He had no idea how these people were being weeded out, but Du Ge grew more alert—this game was truly brutal...

Of course, there was good news too. His ranking had advanced by over seventy places. He didn't know how individual rankings were calculated, but he was still far from the top ten. Still, the rapidly climbing ranking gave Du Ge hope.

"Patriarch, make up your mind!" Du Ge continued to Beguile. "The Heavenly Demons have just entered the world; most are still weak and hiding themselves. Once they grow strong, recruiting them will become exponentially harder. If other sects discover the benefits of Heavenly Demons, we'll lose our chance."

Cough!

Feng Shiren coughed again, shaking his head. "Seventh Master, I know you mean well for the Feng Family, but the Feng Family has no reputation in the martial world. If the matter of recruiting Heavenly Demons is exposed, it might bring disaster upon the family. I understand your sincerity, but the Feng Family's scale is too small. Let's discuss this another time. Why don't you two Masters tell me more about the Demon Realm, so I can gain a preliminary understanding of the Heavenly Demons?"

Du Ge looked at Feng Shiren, silent for a moment, then said, "Patriarch, perhaps you see us as weak now, unable to help the Feng Family. Or maybe you fear that once the Heavenly Demons grow, they'll spiral out of control and eventually turn on the Feng Family. But throughout history, opportunities favor those who are prepared. If the Patriarch only wants the Feng Family to be safe and stable, have you considered that once Heavenly Demons are exploited by others, will there still be a place for the Feng Family in the martial world? To take a step back, if others send Heavenly Demons to annex the Feng Family, what will the Feng Family rely on to resist? On the Feng Family's disciples?"

Feng Family's Fourth Brother, Feng Yunlu, let out a scornful laugh. "All talk. Weak as you are, can you really stir up any trouble? I alone could take on ten of you."

"Weak?" Du Ge paused. "Patriarch, please seal my Internal Energy!"

"No need. I've already checked—your Dantian is ruptured, and your Internal Energy has long since dissipated." Feng Shiyi suddenly spoke.

Damn!

Du Ge was stunned, cursing inwardly. I knew it. Every other Training Partner had Martial Arts, but I couldn't sense a shred of Internal Energy. So this was the root cause.

MMP.

Looks like I won't get a chance to experience Martial Arts. I wonder if there's any herb or technique that can repair a Dantian. Logically, a ruptured Dantian is the protagonist's treatment...

Crack!

Du Ge casually struck the square table beside him with his palm.

The table shattered on impact.

Feng Shiren was stunned.

Feng Jiu's mouth twitched, and he instinctively swallowed. Damn, this bastard is growing fast enough!

Feng Yunlu froze.

Du Ge smiled. "Fourth Young Master, I possessed Feng Qi less than half an hour ago. Relying solely on maintaining the Feng Family, I've grown to this level. If I truly help the Feng Family rise to prominence, the power I gain would be immeasurable—I can't even imagine it. Do you still think the Heavenly Demon is weak?"

Feng Shiren stood up, walked over to Feng Qi, grabbed his wrist, and pressed his fingers to his pulse. After a moment, he looked up, staring at Du Ge in surprise. "His Dantian is intact, but he truly has no Internal Energy."

At these words.

The crowd erupted.

Feng Shiyi rushed over in a few steps, seized Du Ge's pulse point, and examined it carefully. "How is this possible? Can the Heavenly Demon even repair a ruptured Dantian?"

The Dantian was actually repaired! The Keyword really delivers!

Du Ge felt a surge of joy. He looked around at the crowd and smiled. "Everyone, do you still underestimate the Heavenly Demon? My attribute is Maintenance—it's extremely difficult to operate, requiring genuine consideration for others to grow. Yet even so, my growth is this rapid. As for Heavenly Demons like Feng Jiu, who grow by simply eating, or those relying on other simple attributes, once they mature, can the Feng Family truly stand against them?"

Watching the Feng Family members lost in thought, Du Ge struck while the iron was hot. "Patriarch, the Feng Family may not need to use Heavenly Demons, but they absolutely cannot be without them. The reason martial families grow strong is their secret martial arts manuals. If you can have a group of Heavenly Demon retainers, will the Feng Family lack manuals? Perhaps, before long, the Feng Family will be the next Qiao Family, and the so-called Martial Arts Tournament will be hosted by the Feng Family."

He paused, his voice suddenly rising. "Patriarch, rare goods can be hoarded."

Rare goods can be hoarded?

Feng Shiren's pupils trembled, and he abruptly turned to look at Du Ge. Clearly, he was tempted.

Fuck!

Feng Jiu nearly bit his own tongue. Damn, he actually managed to spin it back around. This guy—could he be the one who came out of the Elite Academy?