At the moment the wooden sword touched Lin Xiao's chest, it suddenly came alive as if possessed. Countless vines, each as thick as a grown man's arm, burst forth from the sword's body. Like giant pythons, these vines violently coiled around Lin Xiao's entire body!
The speed was so incredible that Lin Xiao had no time to react before being wrapped up like a dumpling!
Whoosh!
The entire arena erupted in chaos!
Everyone present wore expressions of shock and disbelief as they stared at the wooden lump in Gu Qingfeng's hand.
Even the Dark-rank Demon Hunter sitting at the judge's bench sprang to his feet, looking at the Wood King Sword with astonishment.
He blurted out: "A Dark-rank Spirit Weapon!!!"
The Dark-rank Demon Hunter could clearly sense the mighty aura that the Wood King Sword had unleashed in that instant.
With these words, the crowd exploded into an uproar, feeling as if the world had turned upside down.
So... he was telling the truth!? So... we were the real fools!?
This piece of wood was actually a Dark-rank Spirit Weapon!? This was absolutely ridiculous!
The bound Lin Xiao had finally reacted, his face full of shock. He struggled frantically, trying to break free from the vines' restraints. However, how could someone at the ninth level of Body Tempering possibly break free from a Dark-rank Spirit Weapon?
Gu Qingfeng looked at the restrained Lin Xiao, then gently placed the sword against his neck, just as he had done when entering the arena. He scratched his head sheepishly and said, "I appreciate your guidance."
Lin Xiao's face alternated between green and white as he roared, "Gu Qingfeng, your victory is dishonorable!"
"Hey, hey, hey, brother, you're mistaken. Didn't we agree beforehand? You told me to use the Dark-rank Spirit Weapon, so how can you say my victory is dishonorable?"
"Bullshit! Who the hell knew a wooden sword would be a Dark-rank Spirit Weapon!" Lin Xiao shouted, red-faced.
"Before the duel, I clearly and thoroughly introduced the Wood King Sword and told you it was a Dark-rank Spirit Weapon. Everyone here heard it - you can't go back on your word."
"I don't accept this! Gu Qingfeng, you relied on the advantage of your weapon. Your victory is dishonorable. If you've got the guts, let's fight again without spirit weapons!"
Gu Qingfeng shook his head and turned to the official: "Honored Official, please judge - there were no rules against using spirit weapons in the duel, right?"
The official's mouth twitched: "Indeed, there were no such rules."
In his heart, he thought: "Spirit weapons are so precious that even I don't have one. Who would be foolish enough to restrict apprentice demon hunters from using them?"
It would be like an elementary school teacher telling students they couldn't drive cars to school.
That would be absurd.
"In that case, Honored Official, please announce the result."
"Ahem, in this duel, the winner is Gu Qingfeng."
Gu Qingfeng was delighted and finally released Lin Xiao. Once freed, Lin Xiao immediately pointed at Gu Qingfeng and angrily said: "Gu Qingfeng, don't leave. Let's have another match!"
Before Gu Qingfeng could respond, the Dark-rank Demon Hunter spoke up.
"Enough, Lin Xiao. A loss is a loss. Step down."
Despite his anger, Lin Xiao dared not act impudently when the Dark-rank Demon Hunter spoke, so he had no choice but to obediently leave the arena.
Seeing this, Gu Qingfeng also prepared to leave, but was suddenly called back by the Dark-rank Demon Hunter.
"Gu Qingfeng, I am He Fenghua, and I would like to make a deal with you," Dark-rank Demon Hunter He Fenghua said kindly to Gu Qingfeng.
Gu Qingfeng's heart stirred, knowing what He Fenghua was about to say.
"Lord He, do you wish to purchase my Wood King Sword?"
"Correct. Your cultivation level is too low to bring out the true power of a Dark-rank Spirit Weapon. Why not sell it to me? I'm willing to offer two thousand taels of gold. Please consider it carefully - even ordinary lower-grade Dark-rank Spirit Weapons only cost around one thousand taels of gold."
Gu Qingfeng laughed coldly inside. As He Fenghua said, the market price for a lower-grade Dark-rank Spirit Weapon was around one thousand taels of gold, but these items were practically priceless - even with money, you couldn't buy one. Many would offer three thousand taels, yet he wanted to buy the Wood King Sword for just two thousand?
He must be dreaming.
Moreover, the Wood King Sword had once been an Earth-rank Spirit Weapon, making its value immeasurable. Unless Gu Qingfeng had lost his mind, he would never sell it.
"With all due respect, Lord He, this Wood King Sword is a family heirloom. No amount of money could persuade me to sell it."
"Oh? In that case, a gentleman should not covet what others cherish. Let's drop the matter here." He Fenghua smiled, seemingly unbothered by the rejection, though a shadow of darkness flashed in the depths of his eyes.
Regarding the Wood King Sword, Gu Qingfeng had already considered everything carefully. He knew that once he revealed the Wood King Sword, people would covet it, but he chose to reveal it anyway.
This wasn't some martial arts sect, but the Demon Suppression Bureau - an official institution where everything had to follow rules and regulations.
By bringing out the Wood King Sword and using it openly in front of everyone, he was essentially declaring his ownership of it.
This way, no one would dare to steal it.
Even a Dark-rank Demon Hunter couldn't do anything about it. If they wanted it, they could only try to buy it. Steal it?
That would be insane - the Demon Suppression Bureau strictly forbade attacking fellow members, and getting caught meant death.
Besides, even if someone stole it, they wouldn't dare to use it openly.
The more you try to hide something, the less safe it actually is. If no one knows you have a Dark-rank Spirit Weapon, those who covet it might act recklessly and kill for treasure.
Of course, most importantly, Gu Qingfeng now had complete confidence. If anyone tried to make a move in secret, they'd have to answer to the White Bone Ghost Fire!
After leaving the arena, Gu Qingfeng didn't stay to watch the remaining matches but returned to his dormitory.
He needed to start cultivation.
Since crossing over, Gu Qingfeng hadn't really practiced cultivation seriously. After all, with the system in hand, who would bother with regular cultivation?
Just kidding.
Cultivation was absolutely necessary. Although Gu Qingfeng's true power didn't depend on cultivation, higher realm levels could extend one's lifespan!
Immortality! Who wouldn't want that?
Warriors in the Internal Qi Realm could basically live to be a hundred years old.
Innate Realm Masters could extend their lives by another hundred years.
For the sake of longevity, cultivation was essential!
The cultivation technique Gu Qingfeng practiced was called the Pure Yang Technique, the foundational cultivation method of the Demon Suppression Bureau, which almost all demon hunters used as their foundation.
Since most demons and evil spirits were of the Yin attribute, demon hunters naturally needed to cultivate Yang attribute techniques to better counter demons and evil spirits.
Gu Qingfeng sat cross-legged, with his five vital points facing heaven, embracing his heart and guarding his spirit, and began to circulate the Pure Yang Technique to absorb the world's elemental energy.
Gradually, a weak warm current emerged from his dantian, flowing through his body toward his limbs and meridians, completing a cycle before returning to his dantian.
During this process, Gu Qingfeng could clearly feel his body growing slightly warm.
That was the sensation of the world's elemental energy entering his body.