Rare Goods Can Be Hoarded

"Even if you make it sound like the most beautiful story in the world, it's still betrayal." Feng Jiu cut Du Ge off. "Family Head, don't believe him. Heavenly Demons are cunning and can disguise their Keywords. Don't listen to what they say; watch what they do. Heavenly Demons like me, who grow stronger just by eating, are the easiest to control..."

Having undermined Du Ge, Feng Jiu felt as if he'd finally gotten a load off his chest. A rush of satisfaction washed over him for no reason at all.

"Ninth Brother, you've really broken my heart. You can insult my body, but you can't slander my good name." Du Ge shook his head and sighed. "You were the one who proposed we work together. Now that things are looking up, you're the one targeting me. Think about it: if I really wanted to kill you, I could have slit your throat with a tile when I fed you blood. Why would I bring Third Young Master and Second Master to see you, then urge you to turn back from the wrong path and bring you into the Feng Family?"

"..." Feng Jiu crossed his arms over his chest and looked at Du Ge, his voice cold. "If you hadn't tortured me half to death, I might have believed you."

"Forget it. I won't explain myself. Ninth Brother can torment me a thousand times, and I'll still treat him like my first love." Du Ge looked at Feng Jiu, shook his head, then turned to Feng Shiren and cupped his fists in greeting. "Family Head, please don't hold Feng Jiu's recklessness against him. As the saying goes, you have to spend a fortune to buy a horse's bones. If even a Heavenly Demon like Feng Jiu can be welcomed as an honored guest by the Feng Family, why worry that no other Heavenly Demons will join us? The Heavenly Demons have descended, and the world has changed. We may still be weak now, but in the future, whoever has more Heavenly Demons will be the one to grow powerful and wield more influence in the martial world. Seize the initiative, and you'll stay one step ahead..."

With a single speech, he'd defended both Feng Jiu and the Feng Family. Du Ge felt invigorated, as if his strength had more than doubled. Every cell in his body brimmed with power.

What a rush!

Grow powerful?

Wield more influence in the martial world?

Inside the Council Hall.

The Feng Family members looked at Du Ge as if he were an idiot. What a boast!

In the vast martial world, the Feng Family was no more than a second-rate clan. They had no cultivation manuals worth mentioning and no talented heirs. Growing powerful was nothing but a pipe dream!

All because of a few Heavenly Demons?

They'd seen how easily the two of them were subdued. Weren't they just talking big?

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. After just a few words from you, you've made it sound as if I owe you a favor?

Who the hell do you think you are?

Your Keyword isn't really Maintenance, is it? It's Beguile, right?

Du Ge had riled Feng Jiu up again, and he was just about to lash back.

Suddenly, Feng Jiu's heart skipped a beat as a possibility occurred to him.

Fraud!

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

He'd been lying from the very beginning, with every word and action. Deception could achieve the same effect of restoring his strength.

Damn it!

I let my guard down!

Only an idiot like me would have believed, right from the start, that his Keyword was Maintenance...

Fuck!

That bastard must have specialized in Keywords like Fraud back at school. He used them so skillfully, he'd probably even awakened an Advanced Skill.

Otherwise,

given his personality, when Feng Qi had asked him about the layout of Feng Manor, he should have planted a few traps for him. He wouldn't have told him everything so freely...

When had things gotten out of control?

Was it when he'd decided to use himself as bait to lure Feng Qi into a trap?

No.

It was after Feng Qi had fed him blood. That was when his guard toward Du Ge had dropped all at once.

Feng Jiu drew in a sharp breath, then looked at Du Ge again and forced himself to calm down. He carefully analyzed the situation.

By now,

Feng Qi had already grown powerful. If Feng Jiu wanted to survive in the Simulation Field, he would probably have to keep playing along with him. And to get rid of Feng Qi, he would have to figure out what his real Keyword was and find the right way to counter it.

He discreetly studied the people around him and saw the scorn on the Feng Family members' faces. He sneered inwardly. This guy was far too confident. Locals weren't that easy to fool. The school had stressed over and over that they mustn't reveal their Keywords to the locals. Did he think that was just an empty warning? They'd learned that lesson the hard way on the Alien Battlefield...

This idiot should've waited until he'd grown stronger before trying to fool the Feng Family!

The weak had no say. What made him think they'd listen to him?

That story about the Heavenly Demons invading was full of holes. All it would take was a few contestants to check the facts, and it would fall apart!

"Seventh Master, do all Heavenly Demons have supernatural abilities like you two?" Feng Shiren asked, stroking his beard.

"Family Head, the Demon Realm is barren, and everyone there is a Heavenly Demon. Even if you want to use your own attributes, there's no way to bring them out, since everyone's 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's why Heavenly Demons came to the human world even though they knew they'd lose their immortality. This land is simply too suitable for them to live in. As for supernatural abilities, of course they have them..."

Du Ge had eyes in the back of his head. He could see what Feng Jiu could see, and with his heightened senses, he could see even more clearly.

Sacrifice oneself for righteousness could only lower people's guard; it couldn't make them any less intelligent.

That didn't stop him from carrying on with his story. All he needed was for his words and actions to match his Keyword so he could grow quickly.

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

"Third Young Master, you're worrying too much. How many Heavenly Demons are there? And each has its own weakness. After taking possession of a body, a Heavenly Demon depends on the body and loses its innate nature of being deathless and indestructible. How could they possibly control the human world?" Du Ge said. "Take Feng Jiu, for example. Cut off his food, and he'll grow weaker and weaker. He'll starve to death. As long as you know a Heavenly Demon's weakness, you can control them and put them to work for you..."

Idiot!

Feng Jiu had just been backstabbed again. He glanced at Du Ge, then fixed his gaze ahead and held his tongue.

He'd see how Du Ge managed to get himself out of this one.

"I heard Ninth Master mention earlier that you have teachers, too. Is the Demon Realm like the human world?" Feng Yunjie continued, trying to get Du Ge to talk.

"Of course. How could there be any inheritance without teachers?" Du Ge said with a smile. "We live in a world of our own, too. Heavenly Demons don't just appear out of nowhere. We have to learn how to survive in other worlds..."

"Seventh Master, aren't you afraid that revealing the Heavenly Demons' secrets to us will bring their revenge?" Feng Shiyi asked.

"The Heavenly Demons have different attributes, and some are even mutually incompatible. Fighting among ourselves is common in the Demon Realm. We were never on good terms to begin with, so how could this be called betrayal?" Du Ge looked back at Feng Jiu and smiled. "Besides, my attribute is Maintenance. I grow stronger by maintaining others. Compared to my own growth, what do I care about the freedom of other Heavenly Demons? Helping them find a place to live in peace is simply a way of showing solidarity with my kind..."

As he spoke,

he took the opportunity to open his personal stats and take a look.

The rankings had shifted again in the time it had taken to speak, and his score now read 108/860.

More than seventy contestants had been eliminated from the Simulation Field. Du Ge had no idea how it had happened, and he grew even more alert. This game really was brutal...

Of course, there was good news, too. His rank had risen by more than seventy places. He still didn't know how the individual rankings were calculated, and he was nowhere near the top ten yet, but his rapid rise gave him hope.

"Family Head, make up your mind!" Du Ge continued to persuade him. "The Heavenly Demons have only just entered the world, and most of them are still weak and hiding their abilities. Once they grow stronger, it'll be much harder to recruit them. If the other sects discover the benefits of Heavenly Demons, we won't have another chance."

Ahem!

Feng Shiren coughed again and shook his head. "Seventh Master, I know you have the Feng Family's best interests at heart, but the Feng Family has little standing in the martial world. If word gets out that we're recruiting Heavenly Demons, it could bring disaster on the clan. I know you're sincere, but the Feng Family is too small to handle this. Let's discuss the matter another time. Why don't you two tell me more about the Demon Realm? It would help me get a basic understanding of the Heavenly Demons."

Du Ge looked at Feng Shiren and fell silent for a moment before speaking. "Family Head, perhaps you think we're too weak to be of any help to the Feng Family right now. Or perhaps you're afraid that once the Heavenly Demons grow powerful, they'll slip out of your control and turn on the Feng Family. But throughout history, opportunities have always gone to those who are prepared. You only want the Feng Family to remain secure. Have you considered what will happen if the Heavenly Demons fall into someone else's hands? Will there still be a place for the Feng Family in the martial world? To put it another way, if others use Heavenly Demons to swallow up the Feng Family, what will you do to resist? Rely on the Feng Family's disciples?"

Fourth Brother Feng Yunlu gave a derisive laugh. "All you do is boast. You're so weak—can you really stir up any trouble? I could take on ten of you by myself."

"Weak?" Du Ge stared for a moment. "Family Head, please seal my Internal Energy!"

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

Damn!

Du Ge froze and cursed inwardly. I was wondering why the other sparring partners all knew Martial Arts, while I couldn't sense a trace of Internal Energy. So that's what happened.

Fuck.

Looks like I won't get the chance to try out Martial Arts. I wonder if there are any herbs or techniques that can repair a Dantian. Normally, a ruptured Dantian is the sort of thing that happens to a protagonist...

Crack!

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

The table shattered on impact.

Feng Shiren froze.

Feng Jiu's lips twitched, and he instinctively swallowed. Damn, this bastard had grown strong fast!

Feng Yunlu was stunned.

Du Ge smiled. "Fourth Young Master, I haven't even possessed Feng Qi for half an hour, yet just by maintaining the Feng Family, I've already grown this powerful. If I could really help the Feng Family rise to greatness, even I wouldn't know how much stronger I'd become. Do you still think Heavenly Demons are weak?"

Feng Shiren rose to his feet, came over to Feng Qi, and took his wrist. He placed his fingers on Feng Qi's pulse. A moment later, he looked up at Du Ge in surprise. "His Dantian is completely restored, but his Internal Energy is indeed gone."

At those words,

everyone erupted in astonishment.

Feng Shiyi hurried over, seized Du Ge's wrist, and carefully checked his pulse. He said in disbelief, "How is this possible? Can Heavenly Demons even repair a ruptured Dantian?"

His Dantian had actually been repaired. The Keyword really was powerful!

Du Ge was delighted. He looked around at everyone and smiled. "Everyone, do you still underestimate the Heavenly Demons? My attribute is Maintenance. It's extremely difficult to put into practice. I have to sincerely consider what's best for the other person to grow stronger. Even so, I've grown this quickly. What about Heavenly Demons like Feng Jiu, who can grow stronger just by eating, or those with other simple attributes? Once they grow powerful, can the Feng Family really stand against them?"

Seeing the Feng Family members deep in thought, Du Ge struck while the iron was hot. "Family Head, the Feng Family can choose not to use Heavenly Demons, but it absolutely can't afford to have none. Martial arts clans grow powerful through their secret manuals. If the Feng Family had a whole group of Heavenly Demon retainers, would it still lack manuals? Before long, the Feng Family might become the next Qiao Family, and the Martial Arts Tournament could be hosted by the Feng Family."

He paused, then suddenly raised his voice. "Family Head, rare goods can be hoarded."

Rare goods can be hoarded?

Feng Shiren's pupils trembled. He abruptly turned to look at Du Ge. He was clearly tempted.

Damn!

Feng Jiu nearly bit his tongue. Shit, he'd actually managed to make the whole thing fit! Was this guy really a graduate of the Elite Academy?