Chapter 71: The Gift

Everyone watched in astonishment, hearts pounding, unable to believe that Chu Feng could handle such terrifying attacks with such composure.

The other chief instructors sighed in admiration; Chu Feng’s swordsmanship was so refined that, in terms of pure technique, perhaps no one in the current age could match him.

On the dueling platform, Lu Haoran also sighed inwardly. The opponent’s mastery of swordsmanship far exceeded his expectations; in the realm of swordplay, he was simply left in the dust. How could he know that Chu Feng had not yet shown his full strength?

Suddenly, Chu Feng unleashed his limits, breaking through the layered attacks in an instant with remarkably subtle swordsmanship, and in almost a blink, he was upon Lu Haoran.

As Chu Feng attacked, Lu Haoran did not retreat; he understood that this young man, unable to awaken his spiritual power, was most skilled at close combat.

He immediately raised his palm to meet the attack.

At the moment their blows met, Lu Haoran’s pupils contracted; the opponent’s swordsmanship seemed to continually improve, making him struggle more and more.

“It seems that matching his power won’t be enough. The strength needed to battle a fourth-tier Earth Spirit Warrior is truly extraordinary!” Lu Haoran thought, and immediately increased his own power.

In that moment, Lu Haoran’s movement and speed improved significantly, yet he was startled to find that his struggle was not eased.

As they exchanged blows, Chu Feng’s swordplay gradually reached its zenith, forcing Lu Haoran to keep increasing his strength and speed. Yet under Chu Feng’s sword, all he could do was dodge.

“What terrifying swordsmanship!” Lu Haoran was secretly alarmed. Only by facing him in battle could one grasp how frightening this youth’s swordplay truly was. He could hardly believe that swordsmanship could reach such heights.

To Lu Haoran, Chu Feng’s swordsmanship was both formidable and uncanny, so exquisite as to be nearly flawless. Moreover, Lu Haoran noticed that Chu Feng’s power hadn’t increased, nor had his explosiveness broken through, yet the sword seemed to be empowered by some mysterious force, growing ever faster.

Chu Feng himself had sensed this, though he couldn’t explain it, knowing only that it must be the result of his comprehension of “The Way of the Sword.”

Even among those of equal rank, power varies; at first, the differences are not great, but as cultivation deepens and takes more time, the gap widens even among equals. Generally, from the fourth-tier Earth Spirit Warrior onwards, there are early, middle, and late stages.

At that point, Lu Haoran had nearly raised his strength to the middle stage of fourth-tier Earth Spirit Warrior, finally breaking free from disadvantage and fighting Chu Feng to a stalemate.

The other nineteen chief instructors sensed Lu Haoran’s change and were secretly amazed, thinking Chu Feng was indeed the king of close combat.

Having reached this point, it was clear there was no need to continue fighting; Lu Haoran would not further increase his strength to bully a student.

Soon, the two ceased their battle, and Lu Haoran could not help but sigh, “You truly are an extraordinary talent, destined to be one of the strongest in this year’s new recruits.”

“Thank you, Chief Instructor,” Chu Feng said with a respectful gesture, quickly realizing that there must be other hidden talents among the new recruits.

Lu Haoran returned to his seat, and all the chief instructors sighed, feeling their trip was well worth it and their horizons broadened.

“Perhaps during the Sacred Trial, he really will grow greatly,” said the chief instructor of Battalion One, and this time, no one disagreed.

Chu Feng was recognized by the twenty chief instructors as one of the strongest among the new recruits. At last, the chief instructor of Battalion Twenty, Pang Xian, announced in a loud voice that Chu Feng had earned the qualification for the Sacred Trial a year and a half hence.

When this news broke, although many had already anticipated it, they still couldn’t help but marvel.

Battalion Twenty had produced such a prodigy—this news was sure to sweep across the entire new recruits camp in no time.

Dusk approached, and at this moment, the grand competition of Battalion Twenty truly drew its curtain.

“Brother, congratulations!” The instructor from Battalion Nineteen immediately congratulated Pang Xian, feeling every shade of envy, jealousy, and resentment.

The other chief instructors likewise offered their congratulations before departing, and the thousands present gradually began to disperse.

Pang Xian sat in his seat, beaming, seemingly happier than ever before. He patted Xiao Yue’s shoulder and said, “Hahaha, brother, you’ve done a great service for Battalion Twenty. I never thought we’d have such a moment of glory. Come, tonight we must celebrate well.”

Xiao Yue laughed, “Naturally we must celebrate. But it’s really all thanks to him—talent like this can’t be stopped.”

“Chu Feng is incredible! Who would have thought such a monster would rise in Battalion Twenty, under such conditions, and reach this point? He’s about to create a legend! Though he can’t awaken spiritual power and cannot manifest a spiritual body, if he keeps progressing like this, even joining the Heavenly Battalion is possible. We must give him a valuable gift as encouragement,” Pang Xian said; such an outstanding student was certainly worthy of his investment.

“But what should I give him?” Pang Xian mused, not knowing what Chu Feng needed, then asked Xiao Yue, “What treasure should I give him?”

“He can’t awaken spiritual power yet, so spiritual artifacts are useless to him, but he does need a certain treasure,” Xiao Yue replied.

“What treasure?” Pang Xian asked.

“A storage ring,” said Xiao Yue.

On hearing this, Pang Xian’s mouth twitched. He did indeed have a storage ring, a treasure he had obtained by chance years ago on the front lines and kept ever since—it was his most precious possession.

Although storage rings were valuable, if he invested it in Chu Feng, he’d feel heartache, but it would not be impossible. Still, he was reluctant, and Chu Feng shouldn’t be able to use it.

“A storage ring is a Heavenly-grade spiritual artifact; how could Chu Feng possibly use it? Are you pulling my leg?” Pang Xian said.

Xiao Yue smiled slightly, “The only reason I mention it is because he does have the ability to use it.”

Pang Xian’s eyes widened in disbelief, his voice trembling, “Are you saying... it can’t be that miraculous?”

Xiao Yue replied solemnly, “Why would I need to lie to you? Sometimes, such miraculous talents exist, and you have no choice but to believe.”

Pang Xian drew in a sharp breath; at that moment, he wanted to shout aloud—Chu Feng was even more extraordinary than he’d thought.

Though Pang Xian couldn’t use the storage ring himself, he knew that Heavenly Spirit Warriors could use such treasures only because they could release spiritual intent.

He could not imagine how terrifying and miraculous Chu Feng would be if he could perform spiritual attacks.

“With this, he could enter the Heavenly Battalion directly! When will he join?” Pang Xian said, excited.

“There’s no need for that right now,” Xiao Yue replied, and indeed, at present Chu Feng was focused both on comprehending ‘The Way of the Sword’ and on body refinement; unable to awaken spiritual power, entering the Heavenly Battalion would not help much.

Pang Xian nodded without hesitation, “Alright, I’ll give him the storage ring. Tonight, I’ll bring it.”

He immediately summoned the chief instructors, briefly explained the evening gathering, and then he and Xiao Yue went to find Chu Feng.

Beside Platform One, Chu Feng, Xu Yan, Shi Fei, Chen Shang, and Zhang Bo gathered together, and the surrounding competitors came to congratulate them before dispersing.

Then Xiao Yue and Pang Xian approached; upon seeing them, the five greeted them, “Good evening, Chief Instructor! Good evening, Instructor!”

The two nodded slightly, and Pang Xian, seeing Chu Feng, patted his shoulder in approval, “Good man, now all of us get to bask in your glory.”

“You flatter me,” Chu Feng replied with a smile.

“Keep working hard. If you need anything, just ask. Battalion Twenty may not have many treasures, but whatever we can provide, we’ll give you,” Pang Xian said.

“Thank you, Chief Instructor!” Chu Feng replied, feeling a touch of emotion.

Pang Xian, in high spirits, looked at Xu Yan and the others, praising them as well, “You all performed well too—there will be rewards when we return. To be honest, Battalion Twenty has never produced someone like Chu Feng; this is a tremendous blessing. Tonight, let’s celebrate together.”

That evening, at Pang Xian’s request, Xiao Yue booked the entire Huiyan Pavilion. Soon, fifty instructors and Chu Feng, Xu Yan, Shi Fei, Chen Shang, and Zhang Bo arrived—only Pang Xian was missing.

So many people could never have fit into the more exclusive Yu Bin Pavilion; Huiyan Pavilion, though less prestigious, was still grand and elegant. The booking fee alone was one hundred thousand taels.

Pang Xian was generous; tonight, all expenses would be his. For the chief instructor of Battalion Twenty, treasures might be scarce, but money was never an issue.

He wanted precisely this lively atmosphere; in his view, with such a prodigy emerging from Battalion Twenty, no celebration could be too much.

He wished he could invite all the students, but with five thousand in total, that was unrealistic. So Pang Xian ordered the mess hall to provide extra meals for all students for three months to mark the occasion, and he would pay that cost himself.

In Huiyan Pavilion, it wasn’t long before Pang Xian arrived.

The star of the night was destined to be Chu Feng. Upon arrival, Pang Xian presented a beautiful gift box.

Then the other instructors likewise took out gift boxes for Chu Feng. It turned out they had all prepared gifts, except Xiao Yue, whose gift had been given long ago; now, even if he wanted to give something, he had nothing left.

After today’s grand competition, Chu Feng’s fame was assured, and his status in Battalion Twenty soared—one could even say he was now on par with the instructors.

In truth, whether Pang Xian or the other instructors, their gifts were heartfelt; after all, Battalion Twenty was a collective, and true prodigies always commanded respect, especially when they were from their own ranks.

Instructors were like teachers in the secular world; nothing gave them greater satisfaction than seeing their students succeed.

Each instructor gave a gift box, and Chu Feng could barely hold them all, dumbfounded that he had received so many presents before the feast had even started.

All the boxes, large and small, were gathered by Xiao Yue into a storage bag. Xiao Yue grinned, as if all the gifts belonged to him, earning disdain from the others.

That night, Huiyan Pavilion was filled with music, laughter, and merriment.

Everyone toasted and drank freely, thoroughly enjoying themselves. When the revelry ended and night deepened, the crowd left Huiyan Pavilion and headed for the Martial Pavilion.

There, they bid each other farewell, mounted their horses, and dispersed, leaving only Chu Feng, Xiao Yue, and Xu Yan riding slowly along the road.

At that moment, Xiao Yue took out the gift box from Pang Xian, shook it mysteriously, and said, “Guess what Chief Pang gave you?”

“How would I know?” Chu Feng replied helplessly.

Xiao Yue laughed, “A Heavenly-grade spiritual artifact!”