Chapter 56: The Dignity of a Warrior

On the vast expanse of the Heavenly Secret Peak, only Chu Feng’s words echoed through the mountains, striking a chord in everyone’s heart, yet not a single voice rose in response.

Everyone was utterly captivated by the scene before them, their gazes fixed and stunned.

Chu Feng slowly sat down, adopting a meditative posture atop the broad back of the Cloudbreaker Roc. The mighty beast’s body, however, began to sink lower and lower.

Three feet.

Five feet.

A yard.

Two yards.

The descent grew faster and faster!

When Chu Feng’s strength surged to a full fifty thousand pounds, the Cloudbreaker Roc could no longer withstand the crushing force. Suddenly, it opened its beak and let out a sharp, piercing cry.

Boom!

With that shriek, the massive Cloudbreaker Roc, as large as a hill, collapsed with a thunderous crash, its chest pressed heavily to the ground, sprawling in utter defeat.

In less than twenty breaths, not only had Chu Feng avoided being thrown off the beast by its power, as Chen Jun had predicted, but he sat calmly and firmly atop its back, his expression tranquil, unmoving as a mountain.

“This…”

Chen Jun’s mouth hung open, disbelief written across his face. He was so stunned he could not utter a single word.

“Feng-ge, magnificent!”

After a moment’s silence, Xiao Dao’s exuberant voice rang out.

“Did you see that? Did you see? Young Master Chu isn’t performing some trick; he’s using his own powerful strength to defeat the arrogant Cloudbreaker Roc!”

“Chu’s divine strength is unmatched—what an eye-opener for all of us!”

“Indeed! Chu’s heroic display today has shown me one thing: the potential of a martial artist is limitless!”

“Haha, it’s easy to grasp that truth, but to defy fate like Young Master Chu is another matter entirely! Chu’s potential is far beyond our reckoning—none of us can compare!”

The surrounding disciples erupted into a chorus of cheers and exclamations, their voices surging like waves.

Meanwhile, Chen Jun’s face was deathly pale as he asked in confusion, “Senior brothers, isn’t Young Master Chu at the fourth stage of Body Refinement, the Strength of the Rhinoceros realm? How could he, with the power of one rhinoceros, subdue the Cloudbreaker Roc like this?”

Chen Jun himself was at the fourth stage of Body Refinement.

“Junior Chen, when Young Master Chu subdued the Diamond Battle Rhinoceros, it was nothing like your experience. You barely managed to tame the rhinoceros, just attaining the power of one beast. But Chu didn’t even exert his full strength and yet he humbled the rhinoceros! Do you really think being at the same realm means your strength is comparable? To be blunt, you’re a far cry from him! As am I, for that matter.”

A square-faced senior brother, who held Chu Feng in high regard, offered a simple explanation.

A few yards away, seeing the Cloudbreaker Roc obediently lying in place, no longer resisting, Chu Feng leapt down from its back.

The Cloudbreaker Roc had been borrowed from the Ninefold Sect by the Wind and Thunder Martial Hall, and Chu Feng dared not humiliate it too much—this demonstration was enough to make his strength known.

“Young Master Chu, I was wrong!”

Suddenly, Chen Jun stepped before Chu Feng, his head bowed. “Young Master Chu, forgive me. Earlier, I doubted that your strength could surpass the Cloudbreaker Roc’s—it was not my intention to underestimate you. I apologize.”

“Oh, is that so?”

Chu Feng shook his head. “As I see it, you truly did underestimate someone—but not me, Chu Feng. You underestimated yourself.”

“Young Master Chu, you mean…”

Chen Jun looked bewildered.

“My point is, I subdued the Cloudbreaker Roc, famed for its immense strength, not to flaunt my power, but to defend the dignity of martial artists!”

Chu Feng fixed his gaze on Chen Jun, speaking each word with conviction. “Beasts know to hold onto their dignity—shouldn’t martial artists, as humans, be even more aware of guarding theirs? You, Chen Jun, believed that beasts are stronger than martial artists, so martial artists should surrender their dignity to let beasts have more. Is that right?”

“Yes…” Chen Jun nodded, embarrassed.

“That’s why, if you underestimate me, Chu Feng, I don’t mind at all. My strength is evident, and your scorn won’t diminish it! But when you underestimate yourself, your strength only grows weaker—how tragic that is!”

Chu Feng shook his head and said loudly, “The path of martial cultivation requires striving and seizing, not yielding! Chen Jun, you are a master at the Strength of the Rhinoceros realm, yet you lack even the courage to contest a beast for dignity—you will never achieve greatness on the martial path!”

“I…”

Chen Jun’s complexion turned from pale to red, his face burning with shame and unable to respond.

Chu Feng’s every word struck like an invisible slap, leaving Chen Jun flushed and mortified.

“Well said! Nephew Chu’s words are excellent—truly excellent! The martial way is about striving and seizing, not yielding. That is the spirit a true martial artist should possess!”

Mu Zhentong was deeply moved and addressed the Mu family disciples, “Did you hear that? Young Master Chu’s words should be remembered as if they were family law!”

“Yes!” Hundreds of Mu family disciples responded in unison.

“Young Master Chu, so young yet already possessing such a resolute martial heart—I, Han Mo, am both awed and ashamed!”

Han Mo, standing nearby, looked at Chu Feng with complex emotions, his gaze filled with admiration.

Facing the arrogant Cloudbreaker Roc, Han Mo himself had once paid it homage, yet now Chu Feng had subdued it with his own strength. The entire crowd was both thrilled and humbled.

They were excited because Chu Feng had won back the dignity of martial artists, proving it superior to that of beasts—after Chu Feng’s display, the Cloudbreaker Roc not only feared him but would never again underestimate any martial artist.

They were ashamed because, among all the martial artists present—many of whom surpassed Chu Feng in realm—none possessed his courage or his indomitable martial heart.

Chen Jun, in particular, was mortified. He took a fifty-gold note from his storage pouch and handed it to Xiao Dao. “Here’s the fifty gold I lost—take it.”

“Chen Jun, that’s unnecessary!” Before Xiao Dao could reply, Chu Feng pushed the note away with a smile. “That wager was only a joke—who would take it seriously? Put it away!”

Chu Feng thought that, since he wouldn’t always be around the Mu family, Xiao Dao, mingling with the male disciples, would need to rely on people like Chen Jun. A mere fifty gold wouldn’t make him rich, but accepting it would seem petty.

“Young Master Chu’s generosity is something I cannot match. Please accept my bow!” Chen Jun said, deeply bowing to Chu Feng.

A bow was a grand gesture, second only to kneeling. For Chen Jun to bow publicly to Chu Feng was to acknowledge his defeat in heart and spirit.

Mu Zhentong nodded repeatedly. “Nephew Chu is truly a paragon among men! Not only a first-rate martial artist, but also unmatched in character and bearing. If Chu Feng belonged to the Mu family, the position of chief disciple of the fiftieth generation would certainly be his!”

“The Patriarch is right! If only Young Master Chu could stay with us a few more days—we could learn so much from him!”

“Young Master Chu’s heart in martial arts is steadfast, and his character is generous. Even now, he shows the signs of a dragon among men, ready to soar to the heavens. Surely, in the near future, he will leave the Eighteen Branches of the Nine Mountains and step into a wider world!”

The elite disciples of both generations and several elders quietly discussed Chu Feng, holding high hopes for him and his martial future.

“Young Master Chu, it’s time to set out. But this Cloudbreaker Roc is still shaken—looks like it needs a few barrels of wine to calm its nerves!” Han Mo said with a bitter smile.

“Haha, no problem! Bring the wine barrels—I’ll feed it myself!” Chu Feng laughed heartily.