Leading Astray

Inside every good boy lies a wild rebel. Feng Mingge had always been the pride of the Fengxian clan, even becoming a model clansman, but he possessed a rebellious streak all the same. If Unified True Fire combined with saber technique made his combat style visually pleasing and magnificently ornate, then the second power he had developed was wildly untamed. Phoenix Near-Death Force. This was a power refined from the phoenix's endless cycle of rebirth. Feng Mingge had pondered and honed it for thousands of years before mastering it completely. Now, he slicked back his hair, then simply tore open his clothes. His muscles swelled as blood-red patterns spread across his entire body. The entire transformation took place in a fraction of a second, completing almost instantaneously before he launched a fist straight at Yu Xian. "Trading punches?" Seeing this, Yu Xian immediately punched back with his right fist. Their fists collided. Under the adjustment of the corrective force, Yu Xian's attack power was brought to the exact same level as Feng Mingge's, and both were sent flying backward at the same instant. *He even copied my technique!* As Yu Xian flew backward, he felt like he'd just been cuckolded. Techniques that had taken Yu Xian who knew how many years of boxing practice to master had been picked up by Feng Mingge simply from taking a beating. It gave him the distinct impression that he was a side character while Feng Mingge was the true protagonist. After all, unless extras and supporting characters were pivotal, their strength remained stagnant forever, whereas a protagonist needed only clash with an opponent to instantly learn their abilities. Complete nonsense. Yet reality was just that ridiculous—Feng Mingge really had learned it. Fortunately, Yu Xian was no longer running on the hard-work track; he was cruising down the salted-fish lane. Otherwise, running into a genius like this would shatter his Dao heart in minutes. In truth, he had seen many geniuses. It was precisely because he had seen so many that he knew how clumsy he was; his aptitude was inferior even to Wang Xingnuo's, let alone monsters like Feng Mingge or Zhenwo Wuchang. Too many geniuses, too much cutthroat competition. Yu Xian knew full well that relying on effort alone would never make him a match for these geniuses in a lifetime. Only hacking could let him overtake them on the curves and leave them in the dust. "Again!" The phoenix insignia behind Feng Mingge flared with crimson light. He planted a foot directly onto the emblem, which was surprisingly solid. Kicking off it, he flashed right in front of Yu Xian and aimed a punch straight at his face. Yu Xian could only block with an elbow before both launched into a frantic exchange of parries and strikes, fighting until heaven and earth dimmed. This clash, however, did not spill over into the surrounding space, as both condensed their power as tightly as possible. Yu Xian did not let a shred of power leak. Though Feng Mingge lacked perfect control over all of his strength, by copying Yu Xian's punching mechanics, he barely managed to concentrate over ninety-nine percent of his power into his fists. "Have you ever heard the saying, 'two fists can't fight four hands'?" Yu Xian asked with a dark face, sensing that Feng Mingge's boxing technique was growing even sharper as they fought. With that, numerous right hands materialized out of thin air, swarming Feng Mingge in a rapid flurry of gang punches. Feng Mingge did his best to ward them off with both hands, but two fists truly were no match for four—and Yu Xian had vastly more than four. "I understand!" Feng Mingge shouted in the middle of taking a beating. His arms rapidly branched and multiplied like tree boughs, each new arm meeting one of Yu Xian's, and the two were back to trading blows evenly. Yu Xian kept adding hands, and Feng Mingge kept splitting his arms, until both realized this could go on forever and simply withdrew their limbs. "I'm done. Too tired," Yu Xian said, slumping onto a rock and giving up completely. They were only sparring. In a true life-and-death struggle, the outcome would either be decided in a flash or drag on for ages and ages. Stopping here was plenty. The clothes on Feng Mingge rapidly restored themselves. Sitting cross-legged across from Yu Xian, he remarked, "You truly are strong. What's more, you still have other methods you haven't used." "Just some rather dangerous items. You didn't even use any," Yu Xian replied casually, producing a bottle of cola and chugging it down with loud gulps. He did indeed possess items that would be utterly lethal to foes. The problem was that their lethality was far too high, making them far too dangerous for a friendly spar. "I am a Mighty One, whereas you are merely System Rank. I am already bullying the weak as a senior. If I relied on external items as well... wouldn't that be slapping my own face?" Feng Mingge stated as if it were obvious. Yu Xian asked curiously, "Did you become a Mighty One through your own cultivation, or did you rely on that 'Zhen Realm'?" "Through my own efforts, of course. Though... there was some luck involved, such as being born into the Fengxian clan," Feng Mingge answered. The wealth possessed by the Fengxian clan was beyond measure, and its treasures and cultivation methods were limitless. From a young age, he had access to vast seas of knowledge. Information kept secret from most was practically common knowledge to him. While studying had been arduous, becoming a Mighty One was cool. Blessed with natural talent and high aptitude, combined with his own hard work, he had become the youngest Mighty One in the Fengxian clan. Yu Xian understood. Another supreme grinder. Thank goodness he didn't have to participate in the rat race. "All right, let's head back now. The activities on the island probably haven't wrapped up yet," Yu Xian said, rising and dusting off his backside. Feng Mingge frowned. "The activities on those islands offer you no improvement whatsoever. Is there any point in going back?" "Everything has value. The songs you hear, the wind that brushes past you, the sea you look upon—all of them become imprints upon your life. How could that not be an improvement?" Yu Xian replied with a smile. In his spar with Feng Mingge, he hadn't even unleashed his biological force field yet. Had he used it, Feng Mingge would have learned the hard way just how harsh reality could be. It was just that unleashing his current biological force field at full power was far too perilous. Back when he acquired Mister Hand's legacy, Yu Xian had known there was a shortcut: a meditation technique called Pure Fantasy Avici. Once one achieved initial mastery of this meditation, entering into the Five Supremes Legacies became remarkably simple. Yet this meditation technique was anything but easy to practice. Most people who attempted it went mad. Yu Xian had dared to try only after stacking numerous buffs, and even with those buffs, the process had tormented him severely. Practicing punches in a sea of flowers, tempering his heart in eternal silence, and forging his soul in Avici had imbued his current biological force field with terrifying informational depth. If laced with malice, a single punch might not kill a person's body, but it could very well obliterate their mind and spirit. Of course, he usually deployed his biological force field in a gentle state, without deliberately imbuing it with malice. But without malice, it wouldn't do much against Feng Mingge anyway, so he simply chose not to use it at all. Seeing Feng Mingge looking pensive after hearing his words, Yu Xian grinned, stepped forward, and slung an arm around his shoulder. "Come on, don't overthink it! We're already here, so how much time could having a little fun waste? Let's go, let's go." As he spoke, he nudged Feng Mingge forward. Yielding with mild reluctance, Feng Mingge finally returned to the Death Calamity Sea alongside Yu Xian.