Lu Cheng: Let me see where your limits lie; a true monster!

Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy

A corner of the playground.

Ji Juechen sat cross-legged on the ground, his face calm, quietly wiping the long and sharp meteorite iron sword in his hand. It was so black that it seemed as if any beam of light falling on it would be completely absorbed. Staring at it was like looking into a bottomless, quiet abyss.

This will allow him to completely calm his mind and cultivate his sword intent.

But what that guy said a few days ago completely stirred up his peaceful state of mind.

"So..."

He raised his head and looked at the handsome young man standing not far away by the railing, leisurely taking in the students of the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy who were playing and laughing on the playground. He frowned slightly and asked, "What exactly do you mean?"

Jing Ziyan coughed and glared at the blockhead.

When asking someone for a favor, how can you be so self-righteous?

He quickly explained from the side, "Sorry, Cheng Lu, Old Ji is just like that, a blockhead. Don't take it to heart..."

Ji Juechen's eye twitched slightly, but he didn't say anything, clearly agreeing with what Jing Ziyan said.

"You've chosen the Path of Ruthlessness," Lu Cheng glanced at the two of them and said with a smile, "You could try switching to the Path of Emotion."

"The Path of Emotion?" Ji Juechen frowned slightly, clearly puzzled.

"For example, falling in love, finding someone..." Meng Hongchen interjected from the side, glancing at Jing Ziyan beside her with her beautiful eyes, and covering her mouth to chuckle.

"..."

Ji Juechen glanced stiffly at Jing Ziyan, who blushed deeply. Her usually fiery personality was now replaced by a slumped head and tugging at her clothes, behaving like a little girl.

"Alright, stop joking. Old Ji is seriously asking you for advice." Jing Ziyan glared at Lu Cheng, feeling a mix of gratitude and annoyance at his teasing.

"I'm not kidding."

Lu Cheng said leisurely, "You can mix something into your sword, whether it's a more powerful annihilation or love..."

This is Douluo Continent, not a fantasy novel.

Love is the underlying core code; no one, not even a god, can bypass it. If one were to stubbornly pursue sword intent to the end, it would be difficult to achieve anything significant.

In the original novel, after being defeated by Huo Gua, he fell in love with Jing Ziyan and comprehended the Sword Fanatic Domain: Silence, which led to his rapid progress and a doubling of his combat power.

"I can't help you with love, but I can still give you some pointers on the Path of Annihilation and Slaughter," Lu Cheng said with a smile, standing with his hands behind his back.

"Come on!" Ji Juechen instantly perked up.

However, Lu Cheng did not go to the training ground. Instead, he went to a secluded dueling arena. As the metal door slowly closed, the entire space became silent and completely isolated from the outside world.

Lu Cheng stopped and turned to look at Ji Juechen.

The latter's expression was grave, and pressure swept over him like a tidal wave.

"In a normal competition, you'd most likely have a hard time awakening that so-called Annihilation Domain. Since that's the case, I'll increase its intensity for you..."

Lu Cheng said softly.

"Gurgle~"

Ji Juechen's throat bobbed. Even someone as composed as him felt a surge of emotion at this moment. Something was wrong! Something was very wrong!

The aura opposite him seemed to have suddenly ripped away its disguise, transforming into a completely unfamiliar and terrifying figure.

Jing Ziyan stared in disbelief, also sensing the unusual atmosphere, and whispered in Meng Hongchen's ear, "Something feels... off."

"Hehe, just you wait and see." Meng Hongchen stood in the corner and said with a grin.

Your husband, Old Ji, is going to be tortured.

Ji Juechen.

Lu Cheng still had his back to Ji Juechen. A scorching, burning crimson flame, as if striking the soul, surged from his body. The terrifying aura enveloped the entire private training ground like a cocoon, preventing the battle fluctuations here from leaking out... In fact, there was a special information-isolating Soul Tool here, precisely for the sake of the privacy of the battle.

"Let me see where your limits are."

As those words fell...

To Jing Ziyan's astonishment, Lu Cheng seemed like a completely different person, his handsome features almost feminine. A strange three-legged fire phoenix swirled around him, and at the same time, a crimson pattern of a three-legged fire phoenix appeared on his neck. His pupils burned with raging flames, forming two strange birds enveloped in fireballs. A crimson fire bow slowly condensed in his palm.

The flames swept across the entire training ground, but did not affect Jing Ziyan and Meng Hongchen.

The former's pupils dilated in shock, his mouth gaped open as he pointed at Lu Cheng, but he couldn't utter a word. When he turned his head and glanced at Meng Hongchen, he saw a calm and knowing look in the other's eyes.

"You..."

"Quiet," Meng Hongchen said elegantly, her beautiful eyes fixed on the tall, slender figure on the field. Resting her chin on her hand, she said Youyou, "Since he's willing to reveal his secrets to you, he's one of us. If you dare to tell anyone... I'll kill you right here."

"I definitely won't," Jing Ziyan said with a bitter expression. "Old Ji definitely won't either, don't worry."

"There is no best," Meng Hongchen said softly, seemingly uninterested in the matter.

Jing Ziyan turned her gaze back to the arena, her eyes filled with complex emotions. This figure was all too familiar. The entire Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy —no, it should be said that almost every academy on the entire continent knew this person.

Especially the iconic fire bow, and the three-legged bird that symbolizes its identity.

This all means that this is Lu Cheng, who appeared on the field back then, swept all the matches, yet was extremely capricious, unconventional, and gave the championship to the Sun Moon Empire Royal Academy...

This monster is undoubtedly the highest mountain and the longest river that all geniuses on the continent today hope to cross.

It's you!

Ji Juechen's pupils dilated in shock, but then he was overwhelmed with extreme excitement and exhilaration. "I never expected it to really be you! I've watched your entire match record, and I've mentally rehearsed countless times, but I still couldn't defeat you. I never expected this..."

"Since that's the case, then take my sword!"

Ji Juechen's expression turned solemn. He held his breath and focused his mind. The meteorite iron sword in his hand flashed with a cold light. Accompanied by the surging of Soul Power within his body, his sword intent accumulated and sharpened. His figure suddenly flashed towards Lu Cheng.

In the past, this attack was always successful; almost all the Soul Engineer of the Illustrious Virtue Hall could not stop his advance. Once he got close, even the most powerful Defensive Soul Tool were helpless against this sword.

But this time...

"Boom!"

Before anyone knew it, Lu Cheng conjured three arrows from his longbow, hooked the fletchings with two fingers, and calmly shot them out one after another. The arrows drew crimson streaks in the air and landed with extreme precision on Ji Juechen.

The latter's face was slightly pale. The first arrow struck him with a bang, but he barely managed to block it by swinging the meteorite sword horizontally. Then, a roar rang out, sparks flew everywhere, and the scorching flames illuminated his cheeks. The explosion sent his body flying.

But before he could react, the second arrow had already pierced his skin.

Another violent roar rang out. This time, Ji Juechen coughed up blood, clearly unable to withstand the attack. His once sharp and murderous sword intent was as fragile as a thin sheet of paper in front of this crimson arrow.

"No!"

And then came the third arrow.

Jing Ziyan's pupils contracted sharply. She saw with her own eyes that the arrow pierced straight through Ji Juechen's collarbone, then slammed his body against the wall behind him.

"..."

The scene was completely silent.

Only Lu Cheng remained standing in place, slowly lowering his right arm that held the fire bow, his expression calm and undisturbed. The crimson flames around him slowly receded into his body, and the scorching aura in the arena dissipated.

Meanwhile, Ji Juechen gritted his teeth, enduring the sharp pain in his shoulder, and used his other hand to grab the arrow's tail. He then pulled it from the wall, losing his balance and staggering to his knees.

Jing Ziyan rushed over, spreading her arms to block Ji Juechen's path, tears welling in her eyes. "If you want to kill him, kill me first!!"

Lu Cheng curled his red lips, his gaze passing over Jing Ziyan and landing directly on Ji Juechen, and slowly spoke.

"Did you feel it?"

"Call..."

Ji Juechen exhaled a breath of stale air, his face pale, even showing a hint of fear, one hand covering his wound, but this was gradually replaced by joy. "I felt... despair."

"Completely crushed, that helpless despair."

He shook his head at Jing Ziyan, who was blocking his way, and forced himself to stand up. He looked at Lu Cheng with a complicated expression. "Thank you. I'm sure this will be very useful to me. I'd like to come back a few more times in the future."

Yes, it will.

Lu Cheng smiled and spoke in a tone that was as pleasant as a spring breeze, completely unlike the arrogant and domineering manner he had displayed just moments before.

This sudden change of expression left Jing Ziyan somewhat bewildered. Had everything that had just happened really occurred?

Watching the two of them support each other as they walked away into the distance.

Meng Hongchen hesitated, "A-Cheng, are we really not going to kill them? I always feel that Jing Ziyan is unreliable. What if she betrays us?"

"Hehe, no way..."

Lu Cheng gently pinched the beauty's cheek and said with a smile, "These two don't seem to have a very strong sense of belonging to the Sun Moon Empire."

The former is a blockhead, a pure martial arts fanatic. Whoever can help him hone his combat skills and improve his strength, he will follow them wholeheartedly. The latter, needless to say, is purely love-struck and follows the former around.

"Then can I...?" Meng Hongchen blinked her beautiful eyes, hugged Lu Cheng's arm, licked her red lips, and looked up at Lu Cheng expectantly.

Am I a reward?

Lu Cheng's eyes twitched, and he glanced sideways at Meng Hongchen.

"I guess so for me," the latter said with a grin.

"Wasn't last time enough? You dare to misbehave again. Looks like I didn't teach you a lesson enough... You little brat." Lu Cheng chuckled, "Tonight I'll hang you up and whip you mercilessly..."

"Really? Do I need to prepare the props?" Meng Hongchen asked with a grin, her expression showing no fear, but rather a hint of anticipation.

What if I'm already very angry right now?

"Then I'll help you relieve your heat." Meng Hongchen touched her red lips with her slender, white fingers, looking thoughtful.

She then leaned down and glanced at Lu Cheng with a somewhat alluring look.

Then he focused intently on venting his anger.