Chapter 144: A Minor Test of Du Fuwei
On the deck.
Zheng Jian clapped his hands and laughed heartily, "Spot on! My good son, the first time your dad saw you, you were already this grown up. You've aged way too fast! Can Dad give you a hug?"
Resentment points from Du Fuwei +999.
"What did you say?" Du Fuwei asked in a deep voice. Anyone familiar with him knew that the ruthless Du Fuwei had been truly angered.
Yun Yuzhen was initially baffled, but after a moment of thought, she burst into laughter.
Then, Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling also reacted, holding their stomachs as they roared with laughter.
Zheng Jian spread his hands, "See? They all get it! Didn't I say so? If you guessed right, I'd acknowledge you as my son; if you guessed wrong, you'd acknowledge me as your father... Perfectly reasonable, completely fair."
Du Fuwei was dumbfounded. He hadn't heard clearly just now and had walked right into Zheng Jian's verbal trap. Damn it, no matter whether he guessed right or wrong, this bastard was taking advantage of him either way!
Resentment points from Du Fuwei +999.
Dugu Ce wore an indifferent expression, but the corners of his mouth couldn't help twitching twice. Fine, he admitted that he couldn't help laughing either.
People were just like this; when they were having bad luck, as long as they saw someone else having even worse luck, they would feel much better...
Du Fuwei: I knew this fellow had a sharp tongue, so why did I still fall for it?
*Slapping oneself.jpg*
Just like buying mutual funds, retail investors all thought they weren't leeks when they entered the market, but facts proved that they were indeed complete leeks!
Driven by anger and embarrassment, Du Fuwei no longer cared about bullying the younger generation. He feinted slightly, flashed right in front of Zheng Jian, and swept his right sleeve toward him.
Zheng Jian had long anticipated that Du Fuwei would attack in a fit of rage. As he rapidly retreated, his Tear-Scar Sword let out a ringing *clang* as it leaped from its scabbard. With a sudden thrust, azure-blue sword qi instantly flooded the entire area.
Dugu Ce and the others hurriedly retreated to clear the battlefield, while Kou Zhong excitedly pressed close to Xu Ziling's ear and whispered, "The opportunity is here, watch and learn carefully."
So aggressively bromantic.
Xu Ziling nodded excitedly. What they lacked the most right now was combat experience. Being able to witness Zheng Jian and Du Fuwei clash would definitely benefit them immensely.
Yun Yuzhen - Dugu Ce - Bystander - Bystander - Du Fuwei vs. Zheng Jian - Kou Zhong - Xu Ziling - Bystander - Bystander.
Du Fuwei's gaze narrowed, his expression turning solemn. An expert's move reveals whether they have the goods; from this single sword strike alone, he could sense that Zheng Jian's swordsmanship was no less impressive than his sharp tongue.
Du Fuwei's sleeve collided with the sword qi with a resounding *bang*. Under the impact of their colliding energies, it produced a sound resembling muffled thunder.
The two men each took two steps back, fighting to a complete standstill.
Cold sweat poured down Dugu Ce's forehead, and he couldn't help feeling immensely grateful that he hadn't actually fought Zheng Jian earlier. Thank goodness the road ahead of him was still wide open...
Zheng Jian didn't pause at all. The Tear-Scar Sword thrust forward once more, the dual forces of life and death from the *Immortals' Indprint Technique* switching rapidly, making the sword qi even three parts stronger than before.
"Chief Du, your 'Universe in the Sleeve' has been famous for a long time. Why don't you hurry up and let Zheng witness it!"
Du Fuwei let out a cold snort, not daring to be careless. After all, he was an overlord who ran rampant across the Huai River region. Opening both sleeves wide at this moment, he accurately tracked the true position of the Tear-Scar Sword, intending to trap the blade within his sleeves.
Seeing this, Zheng Jian held Du Fuwei in slightly higher regard. The Tear-Scar Sword abruptly changed its stance, sweeping upward instead. Sword qi surged all around, cutting through the air with a hissing sound.
Yun Yuzhen and the others turned pale with fright. It was only at this moment that Yun Yuzhen truly felt how terrifying Zheng Jian was. To exchange blows with such a powerhouse and not fall behind—no wonder the "Dragon King" Han Gaitian had died at Zheng Jian's hands.
The two exchanged several moves in the blink of an eye. Du Fuwei deeply felt how troublesome Zheng Jian was. As a senior figure, if he failed to win after a prolonged fight, even a draw would cause him to lose face completely.
The arm guards hidden within Du Fuwei's sleeves were now primed for action—the true "Universe in the Sleeve"!
Seeing the slight movement of Du Fuwei's arms, Zheng Jian knew the man was planning to unleash his true abilities.
He had no intention of holding back any longer either. A three-inch sword qi blade materialized at the tip of the Tear-Scar Sword, humming loudly.
Du Fuwei's pupils suddenly constricted. He felt a long-lost sense of threat from the tip of Zheng Jian's sword—that kind of sword qi was extraordinary!
At this moment, in Du Fuwei's eyes, Zheng Jian was no longer just an outstanding junior, but a top-tier expert truly capable of contending with him on equal terms!
As his long sleeves whipped through the air, internal energy poured into them, causing the fabric to stiffen like iron plates as they brushed toward Zheng Jian.
At the same time, Zheng Jian steadily thrust out the Tear-Scar!
"Sword Qi!"
"Universe in the Sleeve!"
The instant the long sleeve collided with the Tear-Scar Sword, a flash of smugness crossed Du Fuwei's eyes. "You're still too young!"
Suddenly, the long sleeve softened, transforming like two coiling serpents to wrap around the Tear-Scar Sword, while the arm guard hidden within shot out to assault Zheng Jian.
This was the true "Universe"—never revealing its secrets until the critical moment.
"Watch out!" Kou Zhong cried out.
At this moment, Kou Zhong was on the first floor, while Du Fuwei was on the fifth floor.
The corners of Zheng Jian's mouth curled upward. Then, the qi within his body surged violently, pouring into the Tear-Scar Sword. The power of the sword qi suddenly erupted, instantly tearing Du Fuwei's long sleeves into shreds!
The spiraling, explosive sword qi also knocked Du Fuwei's two arm guards to the ground, leaving them covered in nicks and cuts.
As for Zheng Jian, he was operating in the stratosphere.
Du Fuwei stared blankly at the two arm guards lying on the deck, then looked down at his shattered sleeves. Fresh blood seeped from his bare arms, sliced open by the sword qi. Fortunately, his cultivation was deep, otherwise his arms would have been severed.
What was the point of playing "Universe in the Sleeve" when you no longer had sleeves?
The universe in your trousers?
In an instant, Du Fuwei seemed to age ten years. He desolately withdrew his arms, ignoring the flowing blood, and cast one final, lingering look at the twin youths. With a long sigh carrying an unresolvable sense of regret, he turned and walked away.
The overlord who ruled the Huai River, "Universe in the Sleeve" Du Fuwei, possessed an unspeakable desolation.
Kou Zhong and Xu Ziling cheered excitedly. At this moment, boundless ambition truly welled up in their hearts!
A real man should live like this.
Moreover, the most crucial point was that they had finally regained their freedom. Whether it was the Giant鲲 Gang or Du Fuwei, neither would trouble them anymore.
Zheng Jian withdrew the Tear-Scar Sword and watched as the overlord leaped off the boat. With a light chuckle, he thought that his previous skirmish with Han Gaitian wasn't even worth mentioning. This time could truly be considered his first formal contact with the upper-middle tier of martial arts in the Grand Master realm of this world.
Judging by the results, it wasn't bad at all!
According to Zheng Jian's understanding, true powerhouses in this world existed above the Grand Master level. Among them, the weakest Grand Master was undoubtedly "Flying Eagle" Qu Ao, yet even that man was far from being comparable to high-level experts like Du Fuwei, Wang Bo, or Ouyang Xiyi.
He himself was a Grand Master, but Zheng Jian reckoned that he was currently equivalent to at least 1.5 Qu Aos, right?
That was entirely reasonable and not the least bit exaggerated.
Once he mastered the *Heaven-Defying Earth-Shattering Mental Technique*, well, he could casually beat up Grand Masters left and right, couldn't he?
Even if he, a counterfeit, ran into the genuine article—oh wait, even if he ran into Shi Zhixuan, there was nothing to be afraid of!
Dare to act recklessly? I'll drag you into a karmic reincarnation memory loop and let you witness your miserable end in every single lifetime. I guarantee it will be much more thrilling than Bi Xiuxin's!
...
Chapter three delivered, asking for recommendation tickets and monthly passes!
No more tonight, continuing tomorrow!