Chapter 231: Brother, Stop Acting Cool, The Path of Invincibility (I)

Watching the futuristic fighter jet disappear into the sky, Chen Chu couldn't help but wonder, "Why would there be fighter jets here?"

They were still at the junction between the outer borders and middle section of the Yunwu Mountains, where the clouds and mist weren't very dense, allowing Chen Chu and the others to vaguely see the jet flying by.

An Fuqing furrowed her brow slightly. "Something must have happened. There’s no reason for aircraft to be here otherwise."

Chen Chu nodded slightly.

The southern mutated beast battlefield was divided into two parts; military activities mainly took place in the Beast Plain, while the mountainous areas served as the schools’ training ground for students.

In fact, humans had absolute control over the entirety of the battlefield. Any time they wanted to, the military could organize absolute force to sweep through the whole area, and neither the countless mutated beasts nor the chaotic spatial magnetic fields of the Yunwu Mountains would be able to stop them.

It was simply that, under normal circumstances, such actions weren’t necessary. Killing large swathes of mutated creatures usually only lead to trouble further down the line, from surviving beasts increasing reproduction to take advantage of the newly opened up space.

Instead, it was better to use this place and the beasts within for regular resource production and combat training. As a result of all of this, military aircraft were almost never seen in the mountains.

Chen Chu glanced at the small dot falling behind the far off peak, deciding to go and take a look tomorrow.

An Fuqing's location on the cliff was quite good, with her back against the mountain and facing the cliff. There were only some sparse grasses in the distance on both sides, so a fire was soon lit.

Just as An Fuqing had sat down by the fire and started bringing out some dry rations to heat up, Chen Chu emerged from the darkness, carrying a black stone weighing over two tons on his shoulder and dragging a five-meter-long mutated beast that resembled a wild ox.

He casually tossed aside the carcass, and then placed the stone on the ground with a thud, looking over at An Fuqing. "Could you please use your sword to shave this rock?"

"Shave the rock?" While An Fuqing was confused, she still drew out her transcendent battle sword, its white glow providing extra light as she walked over.

"Shave along from here, not too thick, about two centimeters will do, shave three stone stools here, four small stone feet..."

Under Chen Chu's guidance, An Fuqing quickly shaped the iron-hard rock into the shape he wanted. She and the young man beside the cliff then watched as Chen Chu piled up a stone slab stove that covered half of the fire.

After pulling out small bottles of seasonings and rinsing with water carried in his storage space, he used a halberd blade engulfed in golden-red blade qi to cut off a large piece of fresh beef from the mutated beast corpse and slice it into pieces, then placed them on the stone slab for cooking.

𝕗𝚛𝚎𝚎𝐰𝗲𝗯𝗻𝚘𝚟𝚎𝗹.𝕔𝐨𝕞

Sizzle!

The beef instantly leaked grease, and as Chen Chu brushed on the sauce, a strong meat fragrance filled the air, mixed with the scent of mala cumin flavor.

An Fuqing and the young man couldn’t help but be stunned as they watched the scene. When the first batch of meat slices was almost cooked, Chen Chu said, "I learned how to make teppanyaki from Li Hao. Come try some, An Fuqing. And Brother Zuo, who's acting...

ahem,

standing there, come join us for a meal, don't be shy."

With that, Chen Chu took out two pairs of chopsticks from his storage space and placed them on the edge of the stone slab, gesturing for An Fuqing and the young man to come and eat with him.

An Fuqing didn’t hesitate when she smelled the meat’s aroma, and sat down on one of the stone stools.

The young man in white also smiled and walked over. "I didn’t expect such an elegant attitude, enjoying yourself even in a place full of mutated creatures."

"It's not just about enjoyment. It’s mainly because you guys are here today, and the terrain here is good. Otherwise, I would just make a simple meal and move on. Eating barbecue like this in the wilderness is more enjoyable with more people."

After witnessing the sturdy Li Hao eat a meal in the wilderness with such delicacy, Chen Chu had also prepared a set within his Sumeru Bracelet. Thankfully, his enhanced storage space enabled him to carry such a thing, as well as more supplies in general.

Soon, the three of them gathered around the teppanyaki grill, about one and a half meters long and over half a meter wide, and started eating. Behind them was fresh mutated beef, so they didn’t have to worry about running out any time soon.

As they ate, Chen Chu couldn't help but be curious. "An Fuqing, what's your current cultivation level?"

Compared to ten days ago, An Fuqing's aura had multiplied by several times, and then there was the sword will's aura emanating from her. It was obvious that An Fuqing and the others hadn’t remained stagnant, all growing at an astonishing rate at the same time he was.

"Fourth Heavenly Realm, middle stage." Swallowing the roasted meat in her mouth, An Fuqing didn't hide anything. "Recently, I also gained insights into the spatial rifts here and comprehended the second Spatial Sword Will.

"This helped my cultivation reach the middle stage. Plus, today, after observing and comprehending the miniature world in Zuo Jing’s palm, I feel my realm has loosened a bit."

Chen Chu exclaimed, "Impressive!"

An Fuqing had only broken through to the Fourth Heavenly Realm less than a month ago, and now, thanks to comprehending a new sword will, she had broken through to the middle stage in a steady manner.

What was even more astonishing, however, was that she had already comprehended two sword wills. After the battle under the Blood Moon, Chen Chu had briefly touched the threshold of the Invincible Battle Will, but ultimately failed to condense it due to insufficient martial enlightenment.

It illustrated just how difficult it was to comprehend wills. No wonder Pang Long had spoken with such amazement about her comprehension.

An Fuqing shook her head slightly. "Chen Chu, no need to be so surprised. Your progress hasn’t been slow either."

Although Chen Chu concealed his aura, making it impossible for others to sense his specific realm, An Fuqing could still feel a strong oppressive force from the two sword wills within her.

Obviously, not only was she making progress, but Chen Chu, who had been showing increasingly dazzling talent, was also doing the same.

Chen Chu showed no hint of insincerity as he responded. "No, I'm far behind you, really."

Although his cultivation had already broken through to the middle stage of the Fifth Heavenly Realm, some things had to be kept secret from others.

He was well aware that only a part of his current progress came from actual cultivation, while the other part had been obtained by using attribute points to increase in a way that went against the rules.

Those attribute points were also the result of his efforts during this period, and when it came down to it, they did equate to his efforts, but these were two very different concepts. He was different from An Fuqing and those people, who relied entirely on their own efforts step by step.

But... An Fuqing seems to be a bit straightforward.

Such breakthroughs could actually be simplified. There had been no need to elaborate on the special nature of the sword will, nor to include the fact that she now had two of them.

Not only Chen Chu, but also the young man eating roasted meat opposite from him couldn't help but glance at An Fuqing, seeming to think she was a bit... too honest.

"Speaking of this, An Fuqing, can I ask you for some advice on comprehending wills? I also managed to touch a condensing will before, but unfortunately, I failed in the end."

An Fuqing looked surprised. "You touched a condensing will? What did you comprehend, halberd will or fist?"

As far as she knew, Chen Chu cultivated the Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd and the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body. These would be the most likely sources for a condensing will.

"Neither, what I condensed was the Invincible Battle Will."

"The Invincible Battle Will!"

The young man in white next to them, who had been eating, looked over in astonishment. "Brother Chen, are you sure the will you touched at that time was the Invincible Battle Will?"

"Yes, I'm sure." Chen Chu nodded.

"No wonder you failed."

Chen Chu was slightly stunned. "What do you mean?"

Zuo Jing spoke slowly. "A Battle Will is different from the sword or blade will, which are comprehended after the limit of your arts is sublimated. It is a power that belongs to the sublimation of personal spirit and will.

"The fundamental core of the Invincible Battle Will involves the absolute belief in your own invincibility, and the domineering aura that crushes all beneath it. But right now, I don't sense that absolute domineering aura, nor that unwavering belief in invincibility emanating from you, which is why I was surprised."

Zuo Jing's words left Chen Chu momentarily stunned, then he fell into contemplation.

Because of living two lives, his character, though not lacking in adventurous spirit, mostly leaned toward being cautious and prudent, preferring to think twice before acting.

The arts he cultivated were the Dragon Elephant Tyrant Body, which emphasized strength and dominance, and the Eight Desolations Purgatory Halberd, which appeared ferocious and domineering during battle.

But the issue was his character...

Zuo Jing calmly stated, "Character is the greatest obstacle to condensing the Invincible Battle Will, but one's character is innate and difficult to change in a short time. So if you want to condense the Invincible Battle Will before reaching the Seventh Heavenly Realm, it's best to embark on the path of invincibility, and harness that momentum to condense your invincible will."

Chen Chu instinctively asked, "How do I embark on the path of invincibility?"

Zuo Jing replied calmly, "One word: battle!"

Chen Chu fell into a slight silence, then responded in a sincere tone. "Thank you, Brother Zuo, for your guidance today."

"You're welcome, consider it as payment for your roasted meat."

"Then, I guess I've gained a lot today."

"And I didn't lose either."

With that, the two smiled at each other, and the distance between them seemed to have diminished significantly, lacking the formality and distance of when they had first met.

Most importantly, Chen Chu didn't sense any malice from this mysterious individual.