Chapter 396: The Old Man Knows How to Adapt

A halo appeared around Li Banfeng, closing in on him—not circular, not square—with its farthest point over five meters away and its closest point brushing his feet, forming an irregular shape.

Bao Yingchen had never seen a halo like this, but he recognized the technique: in the instant he passed through it, his flesh and blood were shredded, nearly collapsing to the ground.

This is the eighth-layer Zhai Xiu technique: Close the Door and Shut the Window.

How could this kid use a Zhai Xiu technique?

Lv Xiu can't cross-train in Zhai Xiu.

Overthinking won't help—Bao Yingchen is wounded; he can't keep fighting Li Qi.

But where could he run? The halo was behind him.

Using Ten Thousand Li Apart could break Close the Door and Shut the Window.

But Bao Yingchen doesn't know Ten Thousand Li Apart.

Isn't he a ninth-layer Lv Xiu? Why doesn't he know Ten Thousand Li Apart?

There's a backstory here—a backstory Li Qi doesn't know.

Bao Yingchen always claimed his cultivation base wasn't inferior to Lu Dongliang's; he said it everywhere, because for opponents, it was a powerful intimidation.

He had indeed fought Lu Dongliang before, but he was an eighth-layer Lv Xiu, relying on experience to battle Lu Dongliang, a ninth-layer, for dozens of rounds; Lu Dongliang didn't want to make a permanent enemy of the Three Heroes Gate, held back his strength, and the two ended in a stalemate.

When Lu Dongjun fought him, he didn't hold back—he went all out—and Bao Yingchen couldn't withstand him; he was defeated by Lu Dongjun.

Fighting the Lu family's twin champions alone was Bao Yingchen's most illustrious achievement in his life.

Though versions of the story vary, the conclusion is always the same: Bao Yingchen's cultivation base is no lower than Lu Dongliang's.

This conclusion is hard to verify, because cultivation base itself is invisible.

Now, the moment to test Bao Yingchen had arrived.

Li Qi used Close the Door and Shut the Window; Bao Yingchen was wounded. The only reasonable response was to immediately escape using Ten Thousand Li Apart.

If he didn't use it, it proved he couldn't use it, proved his cultivation wasn't ninth-layer, and Li Qi would fight without restraint—Bao Yingchen would be trapped within the boundary, his Lv Xiu techniques useless, and his life would be all but over.

A true veteran, Bao Yingchen remained calm under pressure—he stepped forward, feigning as if he meant to shove Li Banfeng.

If he didn't know Ten Thousand Li Apart, what use was shoving Li Banfeng?

This was intimidation. This was tactics.

He was telling Li Banfeng: I know Ten Thousand Li Apart. I have ninth-layer cultivation. Even wounded, I still have the power to fight you!

I could escape easily—and I could shove you out, push you to a specific spot, leaving you in despair.

If he scared Li Qi, Bao Yingchen could buy time.

As far as Bao Yingchen knew, Close the Door and Shut the Window drained immense stamina; with Li Qi's current cultivation, he couldn't sustain it long.

Once he collapsed, the boundary vanished, Bao Yingchen escaped, called in the men outside, and then figured out how to kill him!

The tactic worked—it truly frightened Li Qi.

Li Banfeng was in bad shape too—every inch of his body ached fiercely; he dared not confront Bao Yingchen head-on and retreated rapidly.

As he retreated, the halo moved with him, sweeping again over Bao Yingchen's feet.

Before Bao Yingchen could react, his body passed through the halo once more.

Twice now, the halo had wounded him—his body crisscrossed with deep gashes, bones visible.

Bao Yingchen looked up at Li Qi, silent for a long while.

This isn't the eighth-layer Zhai Xiu technique, is it?

How can the halo move?

Bao Yingchen spat out a mouthful of blood and could no longer stand—he collapsed backward onto the ground.

"What's wrong?" Li Banfeng, holding his sickle, walked forward with apparent concern.

"Don't come closer…" Bao Yingchen pushed himself up with both hands, struggling to crawl backward.

Bao Yingchen wanted to call for help—but he couldn't speak.

Li Banfeng advanced, the halo moving with him, passing through Bao Yingchen again.

Third time.

The halo passed through Bao Yingchen's body for the third time.

Having been pierced by the halo three times, Bao Yingchen's body had little flesh left—his bones and writhing organs lay exposed before Li Banfeng.

This time, Bao Yingchen didn't move.

Li Banfeng casually picked him up and pulled out the key to Suishenju.

…

His wife was speaking to Suishenju: "Old Master, something's wrong—just now, a force left the house. Could it be…?"

Suishenju coughed and said: "That's it."

"Eighth-layer technique?" The phonograph's voice trembled.

Suishenju sighed: "You two know each other well—this boy really shouldn't have learned the technique. He actually dares to use it!"

"How did he use it?"

"You know your husband runs two businesses—he used the One-Path-Only technique to elevate his own level, then forced the technique out."

The phonograph disbelieved: "Old Master, don't joke—using Close the Door and Shut the Window requires months inside the house, never stepping out, before the technique can be mastered. He's always outside running around—when does he have time to practice?"

"I've been following the key—it's always on him. Though he's not inside the house, he's right beside it—the situation isn't much different."

"Can that even work?"

Suishenju fell silent for a moment, then said: "I'm not a man who refuses to adapt."

"When did he spill his blood?"

"Just now."

"After spilling blood, you need months of refinement to gain resonance—can fresh blood really count?"

Suishenju paused, then said: "I get along well with this madman. Resonance? That can be adapted too…"

"Old Master!" the phonograph cried. "You can't just adapt recklessly—crossing layers to use techniques kills people!"

Suishenju sighed helplessly: "Girl, you can't see it—but just now, the situation was dire. If I hadn't adapted…"

CLANG!

Li Banfeng threw Bao Yingchen into Suishenju.

The phonograph shouted: "Husband, husband, listen to me…"

CLANG!

Li Banfeng didn't enter—he shut the door.

Outside, over thirty ruthless members of the Three Heroes Gate remained, and over a hundred more from the Freehold lurked behind—Li Banfeng couldn't return yet.

After examining Bao Yingchen's wounds, the phonograph confirmed Li Banfeng had used the eighth-layer Zhai Xiu technique.

"Old Master, what do we do now?"

"I'll find a way to call him back."

WOOOO—Suishenju sounded its whistle.

Li Banfeng didn't react.

In excruciating pain, Li Banfeng's mind was hazy—he hadn't heard the whistle.

The phonograph shouted: "Open the door! I'm calling him back!"

Suishenju grew angry: "This isn't a train station—you think you can just order me to open?"

…

"Should we open the door?" one of the Three Heroes Gate disciples asked their Third Master, Yang Xingbo.

Yang Xingbo hesitated—the First Master had been inside for a long time, and now there was sudden silence.

A Kui Xiu whispered: "I heard someone say 'don't come closer'—it sounded like the First Master's voice."

Yang Xingbo grew anxious: "Brothers, you're the pillars of our sect—when it matters, pillars can't crumble. Follow me—we storm the door!"

As he spoke, Yang Xingbo scanned the group.

Every man's veins bulged, their fighting spirit soaring.

This was the Huan Xiu's motivational technique—the group prepared to charge into the door.

Inside, Li Banfeng remained calm, glancing at the halo at his feet.

Though he still didn't understand the halo's origin, he knew it had subdued Bao Yingchen—and it would surely hold off the men outside.

The halo flickered—and vanished.

Li Banfeng was no longer calm.

Why did it vanish?

Close the Door and Shut the Window drained immense energy; in his current state, the technique couldn't last long.

The men outside were about to break in—what now?

Li Banfeng could enter Suishenju; if he feared being found, he could even break through walls to escape. With Bao Yingchen gone, his options were many.

But Li Banfeng had never considered abandoning the hundred-odd men behind him.

He was tallying his magic treasures, pondering tactics, when a shout came from outside: "Breaking into someone's home at midnight—are you stealing or robbing? The Three Heroes Gate is a respected sect—why do you always do such dishonorable things?"

The voice belonged to an old woman.

The street-shouting matron had arrived!

The old woman staggered up the stairs—ancient, barely able to walk—yet her shouting voice was loud and clear.

Yang Xingbo was startled—he knew this woman wasn't ordinary. He'd planned to first ask her origins, but her relentless insults ignited his fury.

Why is she cursing so foully?

Don't act rashly—she has techniques!

Yang Xingbo was still struggling to stay calm when a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Hit her! She's been cursing him like this—why hasn't he struck yet? All his men are watching; how will he ever hold his head up again?"

"Look at the way he acts—cowardly, shrinking, wishing he could dig a hole and bury himself. His courage is shattered; he wouldn't dare hit her!"

A beautiful woman, around twenty-five or twenty-six, muttered to herself beside the shrew.

Li Banfeng heard that voice and smiled.

Others thought she was talking to herself, but Li Banfeng knew clearly: two people were speaking.

Liangwucai had arrived—those two sisters shared one body with two heads, each speaking separately, their true forms concealed by the Water Surge Spring's Hundred Streams, Hundred Changes technique.

Yang Xingbo was a seventh-layer Wu Xiu, and naturally had some resistance.

But under the dual provocation of the shrew and Liangwucai, Yang Xingbo finally lost control.

In truth, his choice wasn't wrong: these two women, old and young, were clearly no good. Whether he struck now or later, he'd have to strike—better to act first and gain the advantage.

He glanced at the shrew and Liangwucai.

The shrew was old; she no longer cared about such things and wasn't greatly affected.

Liangwucai, in the prime of youth, felt his gaze and shuddered, her legs instinctively pressing tighter together.

Yang Xingbo shouted: "Attack!"

His dozen men rushed toward the shrew and Liangwucai. The old woman swung her cane to fight; Liangwucai held a long sword in her left hand and a curved blade in her right.

These three weren't just loud—they had real skill. A fourth-layer body cultivator who got too close was instantly impaled through the chest by the shrew's cane and died.

A fifth-layer body cultivator transformed into a emerald-green caterpillar, its body covered in spines, wriggling toward Liangwucai.

Liangwucai recognized the creature—its scientific name is Cnidocampa; people called it yanglazi. Never let it touch you—its spines cause unbearable pain.

Though the yanglazi moved slowly, its strikes were fast. A pair of sharp fangs jabbed in and out with its head, relentlessly biting at Liangwucai.

But it couldn't land a hit—Liangwucai was a Mind cultivator and always diverted the yanglazi's attention at the critical moment.

Moreover, Liangwucai's attacks were bizarre: her long sword and curved blade had no connection in technique. The yanglazi, overwhelmed, took several slashes from her.

This wasn't getting him anywhere. The yanglazi stopped pressing forward, stepped back half a pace, shuddered, and raised all its spines.

It took a deep breath; its massive body began to tremble. All the Yingmen disciples nearby retreated. The yanglazi's spines were about to launch.

Liangwucai was frightened—even if she killed the yanglazi now, if even one spine stuck to her, she'd suffer for a long time.

As the yanglazi trembled faster and faster, a stout woman stepped in front of Liangwucai, opened her mouth wide, and swallowed the entire creature.

The yanglazi was as large as a normal human. No one present could understand how the woman had swallowed such a huge worm.

"Spicy! Deliciously spicy!" came the Food cultivator, He Liuhe. She licked the spines clinging to her lips—still not satisfied!

The Nightmare cultivator Duan Wuqiu arrived, accompanied by over twenty ghost servants darting among the crowd.

A Wu Xiu stepped forward and chopped off Duan Wuqiu's head. Duan Wuqiu ignored it, continuing to control her ghost servants in battle.

That hadn't been her head to begin with—she had no head. It was an illusion created by the Water Surge Spring's Hundred Streams, Hundred Changes technique. Drink more water later, and it would grow back.

Baishoulian fought with a pair of battle-axes. When they were blocked, he pulled out a pair of iron hammers. When those were blocked, he pulled out a pair of wolf-tooth clubs…

The corridor descended into chaos. Yang Xingbo, third master of Yingmen, was searching for an opening when He Yuxiu leapt through the corridor window and grabbed his hair.

"Old Seven!" He Yuxiu cried. "Are you alright?"

"Fine. Nothing's wrong." Li Banfeng stood in the center of the grand dance floor and exhaled deeply.

He pulled out his key, opened the door to his personal chamber, staggered inside, and collapsed onto the bed.

The singing machine urgently sang: "My dear husband, I told you not to steal techniques—why won't you listen?"

Hong Ying murmured softly: "I think I now understand what 'two gates opening' means."

"Why bring that up?" the singing machine snapped. "Help me—he needs to ascend!"

Hong Ying said: "He just reached the seventh layer. Now he's ascending to the eighth—is his body strong enough?"

"What else can we do? He used a technique to cross the layer—if he doesn't ascend now, he'll die!"

Hong Ying lifted Li Banfeng up. The singing machine sang gently: "My precious husband, bear the pain—it's time to ascend."

Li Banfeng didn't understand.

"Giving birth is a good thing—why am I the one in pain?"

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(End of Chapter)