Chapter 25

"Ha ha ha, Brother Jiang, I never thought your son would be so remarkable! He truly deceived the entire Eastern Kingdom!"

"Indeed, indeed, Brother Jiang, I believe you and your son must have deliberately hidden your strength, aiming to make a stunning debut at the Hidden Dragon Examination, right?"

"It must be so. Even the genius successor of the White Tiger Marquis was beaten so miserably by Jiang Chen. How could such a prodigy fail to pass the three basic tests?"

"Congratulations, Marquis Jiang Han, congratulations. I never imagined that the entire kingdom would be deceived by you and your son. You should be punished, you should be punished."

Jiang Feng was also stunned at this moment. If Jiang Chen had been defeated by Bai Zhanyun in a few moves, he wouldn't have been surprised at all.

If Jiang Chen had conceded on the spot, he wouldn't have been surprised either.

However, this outcome of the battle was the most unexpected for him.

Hiding strength? Pretending to be weak? Jiang Feng was at a loss, thinking that if this were the case, the boy's acting skills were truly too good, even deceiving his own father.

This situation today was something Jiang Feng had never even dreamed of!

As the saying goes, some are happy while others are sad.

Those marquises who were at odds with, or even hostile to, Marquis Jiang Han, who had originally wanted to see Marquis Jiang Han's embarrassment, now had extremely serious expressions.

They also realized that they might have been deceived by the Jiang family father and son.

Even Long Zhaofeng, the Marquis of Dragon Ascension, now looked at Jiang Chen with a more serious expression. It seemed that he had always underestimated the depth of the Jiang family father and son!

On the contrary, Long Juxue disliked Jiang Chen even more. The words Jiang Chen said to Bai Zhanyun were clearly a mockery of Bai Zhanyun, but weren't they also a warning to her, Long Juxue?

"What use is a little cleverness from a fallen marquis? In the face of absolute strength, a little cleverness and a little trickery are nothing but clouds." Long Juxue still looked down on Jiang Chen. With her innate Azure Phoenix body, she would surely soar to great heights when she entered the Purple Sun Sect in the future.

And what about these ordinary people? Even if they inherited the marquis order and had boundless power, so what?

In front of the sect's strong, the secular rulers were nothing but ants!

In Long Juxue's eyes, Jiang Chen and Bai Zhanyun were both ants.

However, even as ants, she hoped to see these ants frolicking under her skirt, providing her with some amusement and making her feel like the star of the show.

But this Jiang Chen, this hateful ant, kept ruining her good times!

The only one who showed no reaction was Princess Gouyu. She was completely lost in thought, still immersed in the battle's atmosphere from just now.

Jiang Chen's magical finger technique and the elusive atmosphere were like a night wanderer, luring away Princess Gouyu's consciousness and taking her to that magical realm.

Princess Gouyu repeatedly replayed the battle in her mind. However, no matter how she replayed it, with her martial arts knowledge and her mastery of the "Eastern King Finger," she could never replicate the previous battle!

In other words, even in her mind, Princess Gouyu couldn't achieve the same ease and grace as Jiang Chen.

The most critical point wasn't the win or loss, but the realm and level of the "Eastern King Finger" that Jiang Chen displayed, which was so high that even Princess Gouyu couldn't reach it.

Princess Gouyu repeatedly replayed the battle and finally sadly realized that with her strength, not only could she not cultivate to that level, but she couldn't even imagine it in her mind.

In other words, even if Jiang Chen demonstrated it for her, she couldn't replicate it.

This level of realm made a word, a state, float in Princess Gouyu's mind...

At this moment, Du Ruhai, with a righteous tone, scolded, "Jiang Chen, this is a martial arts exchange in front of Princess Gouyu. We agreed to use the 'Purple Qi from the East' technique and its accompanying martial arts. You actually used other techniques. Do you have any integrity? Do you have any face for the nobility?"

Jiang Chen glanced at him indifferently. For such an ignorant person, Jiang Chen didn't even have the desire to scold him. Wasting saliva on such a sycophant would be an insult to himself.

Seeing Jiang Chen's arrogant attitude and his silence, Du Ruhai thought Jiang Chen was afraid of him and became even more aggressive: "Jiang Chen, let me tell you, you are desecrating the dignity of the royal family. I will definitely report this to His Majesty..."

"General Manager Du, don't say anything more," Bai Zhanyun's face was pale, but he smiled bitterly, "He used the 'Eastern King Finger.' I lost, and I lost with no regrets."

Du Ruhai thought Bai Zhanyun was looking for a way out and comforted him, "Bai Zhanyun, don't be discouraged. I don't know what evil method this Jiang Chen used. Think about it, a person who couldn't pass the three basic tests, how could he use the 'Eastern King Finger' to defeat you? In my opinion..."

"Du Ruhai, shut up!" Princess Gouyu had just come to her senses and heard Du Ruhai shouting and accusing Jiang Chen of using evil methods.

The prestigious martial arts technique of the Eastern Kingdom was called "evil" by this ignorant person. How could Princess Gouyu not be angry?

"Princess, this Jiang Chen..." Du Ruhai wanted to continue to slander Jiang Chen.

"I said, shut up!" Princess Gouyu's tone became more severe, "As the person in charge of the Hidden Dragon Examination, your vision is so shallow that you don't even recognize the kingdom's prestigious martial arts technique! I will consider reporting to my brother to remove you from your position."

"What? Princess, this is a misunderstanding." Du Ruhai's face changed dramatically.

"Step down!" Princess Gouyu didn't know why her anger towards Du Ruhai suddenly became so intense! Maybe it was because Du Ruhai's shouting disturbed the realm she was immersed in just now?

At this moment, Dongfang Zhiruo had a天真烂漫 look and asked with a smile, "Auntie, Jiang Chen is very strong. You said he defeated Bai Zhanyun, who is at the 'Peak of No Leakage.' What level has the 'Eastern King Finger' reached? Is it at the 'Peak of Great Perfection'?"

The "Peak of Great Perfection"?

Hearing these five words, all the martial artists present had a slight change in their expressions. Because everyone knew that if anyone could cultivate a martial arts technique to the perfect realm, they would be a top genius.

And the "Peak of Great Perfection" represented the highest level a martial arts technique could reach, seemingly impossible to surpass.

Those who could cultivate any martial arts technique to this level were almost once-in-a-century martial arts geniuses.

However, at this moment, Princess Gouyu's sensual lips moved slightly, and her beautiful eyes revealed an expression of deep longing. It seemed that even the "Peak of Great Perfection" was not enough to match the realm she had been immersed in just now.

"Peak of Great Perfection?" Princess Gouyu's lips moved gently, exhaling a fragrant breath, and sighed, "When I was sixteen, I once met a great master. From this master, I learned that there are higher realms beyond the 'Peak of Great Perfection' in the cultivation of martial arts techniques!"

This statement caused a stir in the room.

Who in the room was not a martial arts expert? Many were even true qi masters who had cultivated for decades!

However, they had never heard of higher realms beyond the "Peak of Great Perfection" in the cultivation of martial arts techniques.

How could a martial arts technique, having reached the "Peak of Great Perfection," be any better? It was already perfect. Wasn't that enough? This was simply unimaginable.

Princess Gouyu seemed to be emotionally recalling her past encounter, murmuring, "I know this sounds shocking. But the master told me that the martial arts world is like a brilliant galaxy, boundless and endless. Martial arts geniuses are like stars in the galaxy, countless. Our Eastern Kingdom, and even the surrounding sixteen countries, are just a grain of sand in the vast ocean of this continent!"

"The true martial arts geniuses in this world, whether in talent or insight, are one in a trillion. These geniuses can easily cultivate some martial arts techniques to the perfect realm. The most terrifying thing is that they can create many variations on the basis of perfection, derive many previously non-existent mysteries, and elevate the quality, realm, and true meaning of the martial arts techniques!"

Princess Gouyu's tone was filled with reverence, and her beautiful eyes were filled with deep longing.

This was why Princess Gouyu's vision did not stop within a single country. She yearned for a broader martial arts world.

When she heard the master's words back then, she became filled with longing for the outside world and curiosity about such geniuses.

In Jiang Chen's battle just now, Princess Gouyu had a vague feeling that Jiang Chen's mastery of the "Eastern King Finger" had reached the standard of a true martial arts genius as described by the master.

"Beyond the 'Peak of Great Perfection,' there are higher realms. What should they be called?" This statement, which exceeded everyone's knowledge, left the martial arts experts present somewhat bewildered.

"Beyond the 'Peak of Great Perfection,' they are collectively called the 'Legendary Realm!'"

Princess Gouyu did not keep this knowledge to herself but explained, "Of course, for true geniuses, cultivating some basic martial arts techniques to the 'Legendary Realm' has little meaning. True geniuses cultivate advanced martial arts techniques to the 'Legendary Realm,' create their own characteristics, integrate their own concepts, and incorporate their own mysteries, elevating the martial arts techniques to their ultimate secret techniques. That is what makes a true genius!"

With this explanation, everyone finally understood.

So, the "Legendary Realm" was like this.

"Auntie, does this mean that Jiang Chen's 'Eastern King Finger' has already reached the 'Legendary Realm'?" Dongfang Zhiruo was eager to confirm this.

"I have been cultivating the 'Eastern King Finger' for thirteen years, and my own level has reached 'Initial Perfection.' I believe I can also simulate the 'Peak of Perfection' in my mind. However, the 'Eastern King Finger' that Jiang Chen displayed just now was like a sudden appearance of a divine dragon, showing its head but not its tail, making it impossible for me to see through. Even when I repeatedly simulated it in my mind, I couldn't replicate it. Imagine, what level must the 'Eastern King Finger' be if I can't even simulate it?"

When Princess Gouyu said this, her gaze towards Jiang Chen became more profound.

Jiang Chen, however, smiled lazily, "The 'Legendary Realm'? Is there really such a magical realm? Anyway, I won because Bai Zhanyun was too stupid. He had already used the 'Eastern King Finger' in front of me, and I saw through its mysteries. There's no such high-level stuff."

Bai Zhanyun was greatly ashamed. No matter how proud he was, he couldn't hate Jiang Chen anymore. Not only did Jiang Chen show mercy, but when he calmed down and thought about Jiang Chen's words, he realized they were indeed true.

He had tried to please Long Juxue, but when had she ever truly cared for him, Bai Zhanyun?