Lu Shaotong was both angry and bewildered, feeling that the master and disciple were acting strangely.
Even if they had seen through his thoughts, their reaction shouldn't be like this.
This was clearly bullying, especially against a young swordsman who had just captured an internal traitor for their sect. The reason given was something like, "Our disciples are not for others to teach a lesson"—a blood pressure-raising statement…
What to do now? If they really fought, he was definitely no match for Qiu Wuji. Should he just lie down and let his disciple beat him up and leave, and try again later?
Judging from Chu Ge's appearance, which suggested he was roughly at the late Foundation Establishment stage, Lu Shaotong's heart stirred slightly.
A Foundation Establishment disciple couldn't possibly be his match. Was his offering to "teach him a lesson" just a way out?
Perhaps, for the Yunji Sect now, having a sect leader captured by an outsider was indeed a loss of face. Qiu Wuji had to find a solution. But he was clearly doing a good deed, and Qiu Wuji actually appreciated it, so he just sent his disciple out as a token gesture?
The more Lu Shaotong thought about it, the more convinced he became that way. His initial thought of turning away to take his leave vanished. He thought to himself, "Since that's the case, should I just symbolically let your disciple give me a small scratch as a token gesture, or should I simply use some tricks on your disciple and have him act as my matchmaker?"
Hmm, we can do both.
Thinking this, Lu Shaotong smiled slightly and said, "Since Grandmaster Uncle wishes to instruct me, I am honored… Grandmaster Uncle, please draw your sword. How could I presume to use weapons on Cloud Ridge Mountain?"
Chu Ge grinned, "Good grand-nephew, Grandmaster has arrived."
A sword was pointed into the distance, like a pine tree welcoming a guest.
Seeing this polite sword move, Lu Shaotong was even more certain of his judgment. He breathed a sigh of relief and lightly flicked his finger against the blade.
Chu Ge felt a strange force surge along the blade, uncontrollably deflecting the longsword, leaving his defenses wide open.
Lu Shaotong didn't use any abilities exceeding his level, controlling only the power of a Foundation Establishment cultivator. His gentlemanly demeanor was clearly an attempt to win the beauty's favor, something Chu Ge knew perfectly well.
That's exactly what she wanted… More interaction would reveal his true tactics.
Lu Shaotong deflected the longsword, closing in with the momentum, his other finger lightly pointing towards Chu Ge's chest.
Chu Ge swiftly parried with his Plum Blossom Hand, pulling and deflecting the deflected sword, which then slashed back towards Lu Shaotong's left ribs.
The two exchanged over a dozen blows in a flash. Both were well-controlled, refraining from using flying swords or other magical techniques; so far, their fighting style remained within the realm of swordsmanship, like a martial arts demonstration.
Lu Shaotong wanted to showcase his elegance to the beauty, and Qiu Wuji, watching from the side, nodded slightly, only to nod at Chu Ge.
Although Lu Shaotong didn't use his Nascent Soul level abilities, his understanding of combat, surpassing that of ordinary Foundation Establishment disciples, was unmatched. Even using Foundation Establishment power, he could still instantly defeat opponents of the same level. Yet, Chu Ge actually withstood the attack, resulting in a back-and-forth battle.
There were several strokes of genius, exquisitely subtle.
That Plum Blossom Hand... it was worth the months of intensive training she had spent with him; he had finally reached a high level of mastery, reaching the pinnacle of mortal martial arts, perhaps even evolving into a celestial technique.
And his swordsmanship—you couldn't tell that this was someone who had only practiced swordsmanship for a few days. His understanding and application of the essence of swordsmanship had already deeply grasped the true essence of Qiu Wuji's teachings.
The trials of ten thousand swords in the Sword Testing Cave, the wind and frost on the sword platform, the comprehension gained from the carvings on the walls of the secret chamber—all the cultivation she had "forced" him to undergo—had blossomed here, bit by bit, like ice flowers in the snow finally beginning to bear magnificent fruit.
Lu Shaotong was increasingly astonished as the fight progressed. He'd heard Qiu Wuji had taken in a genius disciple, but he hadn't believed he could be that talented. Now, seeing this, he was indeed remarkable. In terms of performance at the Foundation Establishment level, aside from everyone's tacit agreement not to use lethal flying swords or spells, he hadn't held back in conventional combat. He was also trying to impress the beauty, showcasing how solid his foundation was and how refined his combat understanding was.
But he found himself unable to defeat Chu Ge, the fight becoming evenly matched!
Who was he showing off to anyway?
But it didn't matter; he was going to lose anyway. The greatest significance of fighting for so long was to silently implant a soul suggestion into Chu Ge.
Chu Ge gradually discovered that, as the battle progressed, a strange force was spreading towards his spiritual platform. It happened imperceptibly during the fight, and by the time he realized it, it had already seeped into his spiritual platform.
It didn't cause any harm, it was just a… well, something that made him feel that it was very friendly.
He wanted to convince himself that this guy was a friend worth having—handsome, charming, chivalrous, and kind. And despite being able to defeat him with a single slap, he'd still sparred with him for so long. He completely ignored the fact that the other guy was too afraid to fight seriously, lest he be killed by Qiu Wuji.
Highlighting the good points, ignoring everything else.
Was it psychological suggestion?
No, this wasn't conventional soul control or hypnosis… From Chu Ge's perspective, this was clearly "a virus invading and tampering with game data, changing friendliness and modifying affinity."
An extremely strange emotion welled up in Chu Ge's heart.
Damn, is this cheating?!
Using a cheat engine in front of the GM himself!
How utterly ridiculous!
A fleeting voice echoed in his soul sea: "Brother Chu, your master's intentions should be quite clear. We've sparred for enough time; I've made a mistake and lost. Just give me a beating..." Chu Ge blinked. "How hard?" Lu Shaotong replied, "If I'm too gentle, your master might think I'm playing around. Brother Chu, please go all out. I'm a Nascent Soul cultivator; I can withstand any beating." Chu Ge smiled brightly.
Soon, he sensed a fatal opening in Lu Shaotong's defenses. Chu Ge's sword flashed, piercing Lu Shaotong's abdomen.
Lu Shaotong screamed, blood gushing out.
He had it all planned out: this kind of injury looked terrible but was actually harmless, and it would win the beauty's sympathy—perfect. He rolled to the ground, splattering blood everywhere, coughing laboriously: "I've learned my lesson. Grandmaster Uncle's swordsmanship is indeed exquisite. I..." Chu Ge followed closely, punching him in the face, silencing his words.
Lu Shaotong: "???"
"You told me to hit you however I wanted," Chu Ge's voice transmission rang out. "Master needs to beat you up to fulfill his duty, you know what I mean." Lu Shaotong swallowed his anger. Being stabbed wasn't enough, now he had to slap him in the face?
Fine, let him hit me then, it won't hurt anyway.
He forced a smile: "I realize I was indeed presumptuous in my actions before, failing to consider the reputation of your sect. Some punishment is deserved. Grandmaster Uncle, please punish me as you see fit, I have no complaints."
"I've never heard of such a request." Jealousy Bo's fists rained down on his face and nose: "You know you were presumptuous! You know you deserve punishment!" Lu Shaotong endured the beatings, secretly glancing at Qiu Wuji out of the corner of his eye. Qiu Wuji was also staring at him intently, which Lu Shaotong interpreted as a hint of sympathy.
Plan worked.
But gradually, Lu Shaotong sensed something was wrong.
This Chu Ge was only at the Foundation Establishment stage; his punches and kicks couldn't possibly harm him. But as the fight went on, Lu Shaotong inexplicably felt increasing pain. At first, it was just a slight ache, but as the pain intensified, like a frog being slowly boiled in water, he realized something was wrong…
How could he break through my defense?
Why has my cultivation level dropped…?
Chu Ge, of course, used his GM privileges to correct things.
The opponent was clearly deviating from the natural order. Was it a cheat or a bug? Could such a thing even exist in the strange realm…? Never mind, he'd fix it first.
As a result, with the opponent "sealing the cheat," his Nascent Soul cultivation also began to decline rapidly, quickly falling below even the Golden Core stage, as if "the three flowers on the top of the head had been cut off."
"Damn, after the cheater's cheat was removed, he's just a noob!"
"Wait, wait a minute..."
"Wait my ass!" Chu Ge punched him hard in the cheek, and his previously unharmed face was now visibly swollen and bruised, even his eye was swollen.
Three punches later, the elegant young master had become a pig's head, panting weakly on the ground: "You... how could you break my Deceiving Heaven Technique..."
"You have no technique whatsoever, are you just fooling yourself?"
"No, he's not fooling himself." Qiu Wuji, who had been observing for a long time, suddenly spoke up: "He's just a puppet body, his consciousness is implanted, and the technique is merely experimental, potentially with endless side effects, it just hasn't manifested yet." Chu Ge paused, frowning as he examined the pig's head on the ground.
This pig's head is just a puppet? His consciousness is implanted?
Strangely, as Qiu Wuji uttered those words, the pig-headed man on the ground began to stare blankly, as if he had lost his soul: "So... your sympathy is sympathy for me being a puppet?"
Qiu Wuji's eyes did indeed hold deep sympathy, and he sighed softly, "Yes."
"I...I didn't know...I admire you so much, those feelings are real, I..."
"Using your thoughts, combined with his evil magic, even I couldn't see it at first." Lu Shaotong's voice grew softer and softer, his mouth could no longer open, his eyes turned completely gray-white, and he fell silent.
He really was a puppet...or a half-puppet?
Chu Ge could see through the bug, but he couldn't understand this kind of cultivation technique, while Qiu Wuji, observing from the sidelines, saw it all clearly.
A husband and wife working together, invincible.
Qiu Wuji reached out.
A golden worm burst through Lu Shaotong's heart and wriggled in Qiu Wuji's hand.
Qiu Wuji gazed at the insect and said calmly, "I wonder which expert is using such witchcraft to test a heaven-defying evil technique?" The insect gradually dissipated into mist, and a hoarse laugh echoed from the void: "This is evil magic? No, this is a loophole in the Heavenly Dao. Qiu Wuji, you and I live in a world of illusion, yet instead of studying and striving to break free, you regard this as defying the Heavenly Dao... You are unworthy of being called the number one person in China, nothing more than a person with an empty reputation, hehe... hahahahaha..."