Cheat Device (Please Read On)

The vitality and blood of the Black Membrane realm were three times that of an ordinary person.

Within the Illusory Realm of Great Void, Li Xiuwen experienced Liu Chun's strength firsthand for the first time.

No wonder Old Huang had said that even with Fish Ball, Li Xiuwen would most likely still lose to Liu Chun and should wait until next year before going up to the second floor.

After training with Liu Chun, Li Xiuwen left the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall in the Illusory Realm of Great Void and headed straight for the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall.

With the challenge visit fast approaching, he wanted to take this opportunity to spar with Longlegs Seven, Tian Er, Black Dog, and Wen Wu.

Know yourself and know your enemy, and you will never be defeated.

Night Heron Martial Arts Hall.

Upon pushing open the door, Li Xiuwen chose Longlegs Seven as his first opponent.

Longlegs Seven took a single long stride and leaped more than ten feet. His fist whistled through the air as it shot straight for Li Xiuwen's face.

In a daze, Li Xiuwen saw a gray waterbird blotting out the sky as it dove down in a savage strike, while he was merely a fish stranded in the shallows.

He barely evaded the first punch, but Longlegs Seven's second fist transformed into a long, narrow beak and pecked through his heart from an insidious angle.

A white blast of air rolled backward with a mist of blood, sending Li Xiuwen flying.

Steady, precise, ruthless, vicious!

He had been utterly defeated in just two moves!

The wall opposite the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall was covered in lush green moss.

Li Xiuwen was "hung" there, then slid limply to the ground like a flatbread.

Every tendon and bone in his body ached violently. He could not muster any strength; he had probably broken most of them.

Then Li Xiuwen's body turned into green smoke and re-formed amid the mist.

Li Xiuwen looked astonished. "That little blond brat really does have the right to be arrogant... He's several levels stronger than Liu Chun."

In truth, due to the nature of the Illusory Realm of Great Void, Longlegs Seven's strength was still frozen at the point when the two had first met.

With his talent as one blessed with the bearing of a superior man, he would only be stronger now.

Having just entered the Purple Membrane realm, Li Xiuwen truly could not compare.

He gave up on Longlegs Seven and devoted himself to sparring with Tian Er, Black Dog, and Wen Wu. The pressure immediately lessened considerably.

The cultivation of those three was only at the Purple Membrane realm, not much stronger than his own.

By fighting them in advance within the Illusory Realm of Great Void and becoming familiar with their techniques, it was like getting the exam questions before a major test—a downright cheat.

And so, Li Xiuwen fought tirelessly against the three talents of Pine Hall.

At first, they were evenly matched.

Later, once he had familiarized himself with their fighting methods, it became a sixty-forty advantage.

An hour later, the incense burning high enough to reach heaven and earth burned out, and the illusory world shattered.

His win rate had risen to seventy-thirty. Li Xiuwen now firmly outclassed the three of them.

"This is the benefit of real combat!"

"What other people have the chance to constantly spar with their opponents before a match?"

Li Xiuwen gazed longingly at the [Incense Burner].

[Sand-Turning Palm: Minor Success (10%)]

"This Illusory Realm of Great Void can not only be used to practice fighting techniques, but also to probe the strength of other martial artists. Used well, it can produce miraculous results."

"When I have time in the future, I can also take a look around the Nine Dragons Grand Arena. If I can unlock a map for gambling arenas, perhaps I'll gain another way to get rich."

After putting away the incense burner, Li Xiuwen fell into a deep sleep.

The next day, at five in the morning.

After waking up, Li Xiuwen rubbed his slightly weary eyes.

His eyelids were fighting each other, and he could barely open them. It felt as awful as sleep paralysis.

"Could high-intensity activity in dreams also consume mental energy?"

Li Xiuwen lay back down and slept for a while longer, only getting up at seven.

When he woke again, he was full of energy, no different from usual.

He came to a realization. "Spending an hour in the Illusory Realm of Great Void doesn't consume physical strength, but it does consume mental energy—or rather, the brain's processing power. It's like cryptocurrency mining on computers in my previous life."

At its core, the incense burner consumed some form of his spiritual energy to simulate an illusory battlefield for him in his dreams.

Human strength had limits. Once it was consumed, he had to find a way to replenish it.

Otherwise, in the long run, it would drain his body as well and definitely affect his martial potential.

"No choice. I can only catch up on sleep during the day. I'll get up at seven from now on."

All this time, Li Xiuwen had risen at five in the morning to practice martial arts. He had been far too diligent.

"Tomorrow, I'll visit the pharmacy and get some traditional remedies to nourish my mind."

After eating, Li Xiuwen hurried to the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.

Today, the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall was coming to challenge them.

Whether he could further win Old Huang's favor and learn movement techniques would be decided today.

Four Seas Martial Arts Hall.

The cramped training ground was packed with people today.

Li Xiuwen arrived early and stood behind the disciples, watching the entrance.

"Night Heron Martial Arts Hall's Ye Xiangtian has come to pay a challenge visit!"

The tall old man walked over with the elegant bearing of an old crane treading water. He stopped at the entrance of the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall without crossing the threshold.

By the rules of the martial world, those coming to pay a challenge visit could not enter directly.

Entering without the owner's permission was called kicking down the hall!

A fiery blonde foreign beauty swayed her wide hips as she followed behind Master Ye, wearing white silk gloves, a top hat, and high heels.

Behind them came the eight disciples from the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall participating in the visit: four from Pine Hall and four from Egret Hall.

The other Night Heron Martial Arts Hall disciples, along with nearby residents who had heard about the event, crowded the street in a dark mass as they waited for the show to begin.

Huang Sihai stood there and smiled. "Brothers are found across the five lakes and four seas. Welcome to our hall!"

Having received permission, Master Ye smiled faintly and waved for the eight visiting disciples to follow him inside. Everyone else waited outside.

He picked up an incense stick, bowed, and paid his respects three times before finally inserting it into the incense burner before the patriarch's memorial tablet.

"This junior, Ye Xiangtian, begs the Patriarch's pardon for the offense."

Longlegs Seven, Pine Hall's senior disciple, called out loudly, "Everyone, kowtow to the Nine Dragons Patriarch!"

The eight disciples of the Night Heron Style immediately knelt and paid respects to the patriarch of the Sea Sand Style.

Before challenging a hall, one first paid respects to the other side's patriarch. That too was part of the rules.

In a corner, three well-dressed young men and women carrying video cameras recorded everything. They were reporters from Ming Pao.

After the lengthy and complicated challenge-visit ceremony was complete, Master Ye and Huang Sihai sat by the Eight Immortals table in the center.

Huang Sihai smiled. "Master Ye, would you like a civil contest this time, or a martial contest?"

A civil contest involved verbally breaking down moves without actually fighting.

For Huang Sihai, if they could have a civil contest, then naturally he would not want a martial one.

Master Ye smiled. "How could a civil contest display the true skill of the Sea Sand Style? Naturally, it must be a martial contest!"

Huang Sihai asked, "How shall we compete? Draw lots for opponents, or will you, as the guest, designate them?"

Master Ye smiled. "You are the host. You decide."

Those words were full of confidence. If they drew lots, there would be too much uncertainty.

What if the Night Heron Martial Arts Hall's strongest fighter encountered the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall's weakest? That would be like using Tian Ji's horse-racing strategy.

If he designated the matches, he would naturally have Longlegs Seven fight the strongest, Liu Chun, so Longlegs Seven would not be wasted on some nobody.

Clearly, Master Ye had come fully prepared. He did not care how they competed, confident that Pine Hall's four talents would crush Huang Sihai's motley bunch.

Huang Sihai smiled. "Then let's draw lots for opponents. It'll make things more interesting."

He said it was to make things interesting, but in truth, it was to keep himself from losing too miserably.

Seeing the aura displayed today by Pine Hall's four talents, he knew that aside from Liu Chun, the others would likely find it difficult to win.

Especially Longlegs Seven. His arms were long and his legs high, yet his stance was as steady as Mount Tai. The membrane covering his arms gave off a faint red glow in the dim hall.

When the Black Membrane realm was cultivated to its peak, it would be black with red showing through.

One further step, and one could pass the second trial and enter the Flood Dragon Muscle realm.

At the sight of Longlegs Seven, Old Huang no longer held even the slightest hope of victory.

It could not be helped. This was what it meant to possess the bearing of a superior man.

People like him had a chance of earning a spot at next year's Crossing River Association gathering.

On the Four Seas Martial Arts Hall's side, whoever faced him would lose.