Chapter 21

Dong Dabao held Lu Hu's hand and felt something hard in his palm. When Lu Hu let go, he looked down and found a gold ingot weighing about two taels. This made Dong Dabao extremely happy, and he quickly put it in his pocket. Then he stepped forward and hugged Lu Hu, shouting, "Brother Hu, you're really a good friend! From now on, you're my big brother."

Lu Hu looked at Dong Dabao's excited face and couldn't help but laugh, "Hehe, brother, no need to be so polite. As long as we work together in the future, we'll definitely benefit a lot."

Zhan Yi, of course, also saw the two men's actions. He was so envious that he wanted to snatch the gold from Dong Dabao's pocket. That piece alone was worth at least two or three ten thousand yuan, and it was just given to Dong Dabao for free. Poor him, as the leader, still had to be frugal.

However, he quickly changed his mind. Since Lu Hu was so rich, he wouldn't have to worry about money in the future. He could also take the opportunity to ask Lu Hu about his money-making methods. Maybe he could become a millionaire in the near future. The more he thought about it, the happier he felt, but on the surface, he put on a high-minded look and said to the two, "Alright, money is just an external thing. Don't be so obsessed with it. We have to focus on our main task."

"Right, right, the leader is right. Let's go check out the stage," the two nodded in agreement after hearing Zhan Yi's words, but the look in their eyes clearly didn't believe his calmness.

When they arrived at the stage, Zhan Yi soon learned his competition order. Just as Dong Dabao had said, after the ten people on stage finished, it would soon be his turn. This made him nervous. Although he had been in fights before, this was the first time he was fighting someone with martial arts skills. He didn't know if his speed and strength could overcome the skill gap. After all, he couldn't use the Soul Refining Furnace's ability to hurt them.

"Leader, what's wrong? Why do you look so nervous?" Lu Hu, seeing Zhan Yi tightly clenching his fists and looking worried, couldn't help but ask curiously.

"Uh, nothing, I'm completely fine. I'm just thinking about what to do if I can't beat them," Zhan Yi, lost in thought, blurted out his inner worries when asked by Lu Hu.

"What? Leader, you're afraid you can't beat them? Are you joking? From what I've observed, although there are a few skilled people, none of them are top-notch. I can beat them, so you don't need to worry," Lu Hu was slightly stunned, unable to believe it.

"This... Ah Hu, if I tell you I don't know any martial arts at all, I only know how to exorcise demons and have never fought skilled people, would you believe me?" Zhan Yi finally realized and, after some thought, decided to tell Lu Hu about his current predicament.

Lu Hu, hearing Zhan Yi's words, was also taken aback. He kept thinking about what Zhan Yi said. Knowing how to exorcise demons but not knowing any martial arts seemed too contradictory. Even when fighting demons, one needed agile movements to avoid their attacks.

Moreover, Lu Hu knew that although most cultivators were skilled in magic, they were weak in physical strength compared to their magic. But compared to ordinary people, their physical strength was much higher. The more he thought about it, the more confused he became, "Leader, I'm not saying I don't believe you, but it doesn't make sense. Can you explain?"

Zhan Yi, seeing Lu Hu's completely confused look, couldn't help but roll his eyes and said irritably, "Damn, it doesn't make sense, and you still say you believe me? That's too perfunctory. Actually, I don't know how to explain it. I can only tell you that I'm strong and fast, but I don't know any techniques. I used to be an ordinary student, and my cultivation is just starting. Now you understand, right?"

"Haha, Leader, now I completely understand. You're trying to tell me that you have strength but don't know how to use it, right?" Lu Hu nodded and laughed.

"This... I guess so," Zhan Yi had to admit what Lu Hu said, but it sounded like he was calling him an idiot.

"Hehe, Leader, actually, you don't need to worry. As the saying goes, 'There is no invincible martial art, only the fastest.' As long as you have enough explosive power and can reach your maximum speed, no martial art can stand against you." Lu Hu, seeing Zhan Yi's red face, felt he was being too frank but couldn't find better words to describe it, so he shared his insights with Zhan Yi.

"Ah Hu, I think you're belittling my intelligence. If I knew how to reach my maximum speed, would I be worried about not being able to beat them?" Zhan Yi said dejectedly.

"Uh... I didn't know you didn't even know that. You're too stupid. No, you're too... Anyway, let me explain. To reach your maximum speed, you just need to focus your energy and gather your strength at a specific point in your body, then release it all at once..."

Zhan Yi, who was already thinking of strangling Lu Hu, became more engrossed as he listened to his explanation of strength and speed. Despite Lu Hu's lack of tact, his centuries of cultivation gave him unique insights into strength and speed, especially his explanation of how to control strength with intent, which gave Zhan Yi new inspiration.

It turned out that cultivators and demons were much stronger than ordinary people because they had powerful soul energy, which allowed them to react faster and control their body's energy better. The more powerful the soul energy, the better the control and the faster the reaction speed.

Understanding this, Zhan Yi tried a few times and found that his speed had indeed increased significantly. Although he wasn't fully familiar with it, it was definitely more effective than his previous fighting methods. He smiled at Lu Hu, "Yeah, Ah Hu, your method is indeed good."

"Of course, Leader. I didn't expect you to be so clueless about such a simple thing. It's really frustrating," Lu Hu, hearing Zhan Yi's praise, couldn't help but feel a bit smug.

"Ah Hu, if you keep insulting me, I'll strangle you right now," Zhan Yi, who was just starting to feel better, was immediately annoyed by Lu Hu's words. He thought to himself that he would have to teach Lu Hu a lesson someday, or he would be driven to death by him.

"Hehe, Leader, I misspoke. Don't take it to heart. Listen, they're calling you to the stage," Lu Hu, feeling embarrassed, didn't know why he always said the wrong things. Fortunately, the announcement called Zhan Yi's name, and he quickly changed the subject.

Zhan Yi listened carefully and indeed heard his name being called. He didn't waste time chatting with Lu Hu and quickly went to the stage. After asking about his opponent, he walked onto the stage.

However, when Zhan Yi saw his opponent, he felt a bit intimidated. He cursed in his heart, "Who the hell arranged this? They gave me such a big guy for the first match."

Standing opposite Zhan Yi was a man over 1.9 meters tall, with a broad and muscular build like a bull. It was summer, and the man seemed to be showing off his strength by wearing only a tank top. His chest muscles, hard as iron, gleamed in the sunlight, clearly the result of long-term training.

Zhan Yi cursed in his heart, wondering if he could really beat such a big guy. If he got hit, would it feel like being hit by a bull? The more he thought about it, the more nervous he became. He could almost see himself being hit by the opponent, spitting blood, and flying backward.

But Zhan Yi didn't know that the big guy was even more nervous. He had seen Zhan Yi lift the stone lock in the morning and knew he couldn't do it as easily. So now, facing Zhan Yi, he could also imagine himself being picked up and swung around like a stone lock.

For about a minute, the two men stood facing each other, their foreheads sweating, both suppressing the urge to run away. The audience, however, was puzzled, "Hey, what are they doing? Why aren't they fighting?"

"Who knows? They're probably gathering their energy. Look, they're sweating."

"Damn, I don't think so. They might be trying to get intimate with each other. Look at their eyes, they seem to be fantasizing about it."

"Get lost, you're the one fantasizing about it."

The audience was buzzing with comments, but a beautiful woman sitting in front of a monitor in the backstage couldn't help but laugh. She was none other than Mai, the first beauty of the Moer tribe.

Zhan Yi's match was deliberately arranged by her. Since she saw Zhan Yi lift the stone lock, she had been paying attention to him. She felt there was something mysterious about this young man that made her want to understand him better, but she was afraid it was just her imagination. She wanted to see if Zhan Yi was strong in more than just strength, so she arranged this match with a very skilled big guy.

She kept zooming in on Zhan Yi's face in the monitor, watching his nervous eyes and the sweat on his forehead, and giggled. After a while, she whispered, "Idiot, watch me scare you to death."

Two girls sitting nearby heard her and came over, curious, "Miss, who are you trying to scare to death?"

"Hey, Miss, isn't that the handsome guy you've been paying attention to? Why are you zooming in on his face so much? Are you interested in him?"

"I... No, don't be silly. I just find him particularly amusing. Look, he seems so scared," Mai's face turned slightly red as she denied it.