The operation model of the Iron Palm Gang resembles that of the Cao Gang in martial arts novels, colluding with the government and controlling the water transport. Such organizations are typically the first factions that young heroes must deal with after leaving the beginner's village.
Iron Sand Palm, Eight-Step Cicada, and other such martial arts skills also seem quite common. For such gangs, Duge really couldn't muster much interest.
The depths of the Feng Family's heritage must be quite shallow if even such a gang could bully them to this extent, no wonder they are so timid in their actions…
Duge lamented and, while not forgetting his persona, was the first to express his stance, "Fourth Young Master, rest assured, Feng Qi will make every effort to eliminate the Iron Palm Gang, to protect the interests of the Feng Family."
Eliminate the Iron Palm Gang?
Feng Yunlu was startled, and suddenly understood the Family Head's helplessness.
But recalling Duge's theory of extremity, he also let go, comforting himself that this was normal, perfectly normal. It would be strange if Heavenly Demon didn't say so.
From another perspective, if the injuries recovered quickly and the tasks were accomplished by any means necessary, if the Feng Family could raise such a group of devoted fighters, why worry about not rising to prominence?
Shaking his head, Feng Yunlu dismissed the thought of an army of devoted fighters formed by Heavenly Demon and found Duge increasingly pleasing to the eye, "Mr. Seven, we can take our time dealing with the Iron Palm Gang. For now, we just need to get rid of Qiu Feibao…"
"Any power that hinders the Feng Family's interests should be removed, sooner or later," Duge said with a smile, continuing, "Fourth Young Master, let's not talk about these minor gangs. Tell me about the largest forces in the rivers and lakes."
Feng Yunlu said, "Five Sects, three Gates, two Gangs, and one noble family."
Duge straightened up, finally showing interest, "What are they?"
"The Five Sects are Kunlun Sect, Hua Mountain, Mount Tai, Emei Sect, and Snow Mountain Sect. The three Gates are Blood Sabre Sect, Divine Fist Gate, and Mount Tian Sect. The two Gangs are Beggar's Gang and Qingjiao Gang, and the one noble family is the Qiao Family," Feng Yunlu said.
"Is the Qiao Family that powerful?" Duge asked. "Why is the Martial Arts Conference held at the Qiao Family's place?"
"The Qiao Family is now not even comparable to the five major sects," Feng Yunlu shook his head, saying, "The reason it is called the first noble family is that a hundred years ago, there was a Qiao He. Qiao He was proficient in the martial arts of many schools; even the simplest martial arts became incredibly efficient in his hands. At the age of twenty-five, once Qiao He had perfected his techniques, he challenged and impressed all the masters of the Five Sects and three Gates, and he was recognized as the undisputed best in the world at that time.
Although Qiao He was the best in martial arts, he was a chivalrous man who enjoyed making friends. Even though he defeated many masters from prominent sects, he also helped many sects improve their martial arts. Therefore, he was unanimously acclaimed as the Martial Saint by various sects.
When Qiao He died, he sealed all his lifelong learning in a secret realm, which is the renowned sacred land of the Qiao Family."
Mentioning Martial Saint Qiao He, an unusual glow appeared on Feng Yunlu's face, as if referring to an ancestor of his own, he sighed softly and continued, "Unfortunately, after Martial Saint Qiao He, the Qiao Family has not produced any other extraordinary talents. The Martial Saint foresaw this and made a dying wish that the Qiao Family should open the secret realm once every three years, to select the most outstanding young people from the rivers and lakes, grant them entry into the secret realm, and seek his legacy of secret manuals. The purpose was to prevent his life's work from being lost and to cultivate future martial arts talents.
This is a benevolent act for the benefit of the Martial Worlds, and many sects are indebted to Martial Saint's favor. As a result, the many sects unanimously regarded the Qiao Family as the first family of the Martial Worlds. One could say that the Qiao Family has become a symbol of the Martial Worlds. If the Qiao Family is in trouble, other sects must aid them. Hence, for a hundred years, no one foolish enough has thought about provoking the Qiao Family…"
Feng Yunlu abruptly stopped talking, giving Duge an awkward glance. The very person who incessantly spoke of snatching the Qiao Family's sacred land was right before him.
Saying this was akin to slapping him in the face, Feng Yunlu's face turned slightly red, and he awkwardly defended, "Mr. Seven, I didn't mean you. Being new to this, you may not be aware of the Qiao Family's past. It's normal to have those thoughts, but you still shouldn't think about fighting for the Qiao Family's sacred land. You would be attacked by the masses."
Duge glanced at him and inwardly sneered, thinking that he didn't understand the clichés of martial arts novels. No matter what kind of sacred land, once the protagonist appears, it will be contested and eventually fall into ruin.
Throughout history, no sacred land has ever remained intact until the end.
Moreover, this is a simulation field, with hundreds of people eyeing the main storyline, countless eyes set on the Martial Worlds' sacred land. If I don't snatch it, someone else will…
"Martial Saint Qiao He is indeed worthy of his name," Feng Jiu sneered after a long silence, "He played a good game, a martial arts feast that opens once every three years, ingeniously protecting the Qiao Family for a century."
Having learned about the origin of the first noble family, Duge looked for a relatively familiar sect among the Five Sects, three Gates, and asked, "What about the Beggar's Gang? What martial arts does the Beggar's Gang practice?"
"Dog-Beating Stick Skill, Funeral Stick Skill, Lotus Palm, and Spirit Serpent Body Skill," Feng Yunlu said. "These are all top-notch martial arts, many tiers above the Feng Family's Shattered Gold and Jade Hand…"
Lotus Palm, Funeral Stick Skill?
Listening to these familiar yet unfamiliar martial arts, Duge sighed inwardly. This world was not the one he knew after all.
But the local Beggar's Gang did seem down-to-earth, with all its martial arts closely related to the daily activities of the gang. Fortunately, there were no highly overrated skills like Dragon Capturing Skills or Dragon Subduing Palms.
Duge was internally mocking the Beggar's Gang.
Suddenly, he shuddered violently, feeling a significant change throughout his body.
He could distinctly feel his muscles bulging, every cell seemed to store explosive power, as if he could easily punch a bull to death with a casual blow;
His vision was also enhanced, and he could see the wings of a mosquito fluttering three meters away. He could also observe minute changes in Feng Jiu's expression with his Rear Eye.
His ears picked up many more distracting noises as well—the heartbeat of Feng Yunlu, Feng Jiu, and even faintly hearing Feng Shiren arranging personnel to search for Heavenly Demon within the council hall…
...
What the hell!
What's happening?
Duge's heartbeat quickened slightly, wondering if the abrupt improvement in his physical abilities was due to the Feng Family putting into action the plans he had made up?
If that were the case, to what extent would he be powered up if he pushed the Feng Family to the position of Martial Arts Alliance Hierarch?
A humanoid Gundam?
Indeed, his efforts had not been in vain. Truly, the game of a higher world is too intriguing to play…
Stabilizing his emotions, Duge opened his hidden personal attribute panel.
Just as expected.
His personal attributes had undergone a change:
Name: Duge;
Number: 48699527;
Spiritual power: 80;
Current ranking: 1\813;
Key word for the round: Maintenance;
Key word for the round, Backstab;
Advanced skills:
Sacrifice Oneself for Justice: Those you have protected will have their guard lowered by thirty percent;
Rear Eye: Those who backstab are not allowed to be backstabbed by others, you have the vision behind you.
Derived items: None;
...
The value of spiritual power had increased by 20, and his personal ranking had leaped to first place.
Duge pursed his lips, damn, just like this, just this, he was first like this, these people are too fragile!
However.
The ranking should be changing all the time...
Stay calm, stay calm, Duge steadied his emotions, had gotten off to a good start, but maintaining the first place until the end is what really counted...
Feng Jiu had noticed Duge's subtle movements and naturally knew that he was checking his personal panel, seeing his joyous expression, there must have been a huge improvement in the ranking.
Feng Jiu, filled with envy, wanted to ask Duge about his ranking, but with Feng Yunlu still present, it clearly wasn't appropriate to inquire.
At this moment, footsteps came from outside the door.
Shortly after, Feng Yunjie pushed the door open and looked at Duge in the room, excitedly said, "Mr. Seven, Father has agreed to your plan and has already sent people out to find other Heavenly Demons."
Feng Jiu held his breath, it was over, the aftermath had arrived. Once the Feng Family members found another candidate, the lies of the Heavenly Demon would be exposed in minutes; it was all too hasty.
"The Family Head is indeed a wise man." Duge was not at all flustered. He stood up and smiled, "Now that the search for the Heavenly Demon is underway, when do we leave?"
"Mr. Seven, there's no rush. Father said that currently Mr. Seven and Mr. Nine's strength is still quite weak; the plan is to rest up in the Feng Family for a few days, improve our strength before setting out." Feng Yunjie said with a slightly embarrassed tone.
"Third young master, do you remember what I said before?" Duge shook his head, smiling.
You've said a lot of things, how can I remember them all?
Feng Yunjie thought to himself, respectfully asking, "May I ask what the master is referring to?"
"I and the Feng Family are tied together, share the same misfortune and glory." Duge puffed out his chest, confidently said, "From the moment the Family Head decided to implement the plan I provided, the fate of the Feng Family had changed, and likewise, my strength had also been enhanced..."
As he spoke, he suddenly stepped forward.
Before Feng Yunjie's eyes, Duge was already up close, less than three inches from his face, his speed so fast that he had no time to react.
By the time he reacted, instinctively raising his hand to push Duge away, his wrists were somehow already caught by Duge...
Feng Jiu's eyes bulged: "Damn."
"How is this possible?" Feng Yunjie stood up in shock, crying out.
Outside the door.
Feng Yunming stood wide-eyed, frozen in place.
In fact, Duge was also somewhat surprised; he had intended to catch Feng Yunjie by surprise by grabbing his throat to showcase his strength.
He hadn't expected the sudden increase in power his body wasn't yet accustomed to, and he had darted in front of him. If he hadn't controlled his force in time, he likely would have sent Feng Yunjie flying.
So this damned game really was realistic, having to adjust to the sudden increase in strength and agility...
Fortunately, aside from nearly kissing Feng Yunjie, the grandstanding effect wasn't bad.
Duge released Feng Yunjie's wrists, gracefully stepped back two paces, and smiled slightly: "Third young master, now do you believe what I said? If I had been holding a blade just now, your heart would have been pierced through by me..."