Chapter 257: Chapter 256: Staff Technique! Battle Against a Prodigy

Zhu Ge opened his eyes and let out a long breath.

Though the Array Star was only the size of a grain of rice and its light was dim, it was most certainly there.

He could feel the Array Star was connected to his Heart Spirit. With just a thought, he could channel Spiritual Qi into it and sketch out simple Array Patterns.

"Good." A slight smile touched Zhu Ge’s lips.

He didn’t try to form a second Array Star. Instead, he closed the All Heaven Star Battle Array Map and tucked it into his sleeve.

’Don’t bite off more than you can chew. I should first master the use of one Array Star, then slowly build from there.’

Zhu Ge then exited his Self Realm and returned to the carriage.

True Monarch Minmian was lounging with his legs crossed, a blade of grass dangling from his lips as he stared out the window with an air of utter boredom. Seeing Zhu Ge appear, he raised an eyebrow.

"Made your choice?"

"I have. I’ll focus on the Thunder Sound Divine Refining Technique and supplement it with the Array Dao."

"The Array Dao?" True Monarch Minmian seemed surprised. "I thought you’d pick the Sword Dao or the Alchemy Dao."

True Monarch Minmian nodded slightly. "Hmm, your soul is well-suited to the rod. Speaking of which, how is your training with it going?"

Zhu Ge drew the Purgatory Star Rod from his waist and gave it a flourish.

A silver-red light shimmered along its length in the sun, and a faint rumble of thunder seemed to echo from its shaft.

"It’s coming along," Zhu Ge said with a laugh. "It’s mainly because the materials you two True Monarchs provided are so good."

After all, the main body of the Purgatory Star Rod was forged from Star-picking Silver.

He hadn’t known it before, but now Zhu Ge understood just how valuable a True-level Material like Star-picking Silver was.

Now, when Zhu Ge used the Purgatory Star Rod, it felt like an extension of his own body.

In terms of durability, the Purgatory Star Rod was probably even tougher than Zhu Ge’s own body.

After Zhu Ge had mastered Wind Refining, his body was already comparable to an Elemental Level weapon.

But the Purgatory Star Rod’s durability was on an even higher tier; it was at least at the Power Level.

"Nicely done. It seems you’re quite proficient with it." True Monarch Minmian nodded in praise. "I happen to have a few rod techniques myself. When you have time, you could practice one or two."

Rod techniques?

Zhu Ge’s eyes lit up.

To be honest, he couldn’t keep training in a vacuum forever.

He hadn’t really had a choice before; all his Cultivation Techniques had come from the Raincoat Fisherman.

Later, he hadn’t been able to afford many, and the ones he did buy weren’t very advanced.

But True Monarch Minmian had lived for thousands of years; he was a walking relic.

’Besides, he’s my own second brother. Why should I be polite?’ thought Zhu Ge.

"Haha, take them." True Monarch Minmian produced all sorts of "books."

These were all rod techniques.

Zhu Ge stored them in his Hongmi Self Realm, planning to go practice them shortly.

But just then, he sensed someone approaching from the distance.

THUD...

THUD...

THUD...

A series of heavy thuds came from outside the carriage, making the ground tremble slightly.

It wasn’t the sound of a crowd, but of a single person walking—each step made the ground tremble, as if some ancient beast were approaching.

Liu Jianjian’s voice, tinged with curiosity, came from outside. "Master, we’ve got a big one here!"

Zhu Ge lifted the carriage curtain and stepped outside.

On the main road ahead, a round, chubby boy was striding toward them.

The boy looked to be only about ten years old and carried two chain hammers. His steps were clearly light, and the prints he left on the ground were shallow—not even as deep as Mazhu’s.

And yet, Zhu Ge had the uncanny feeling that it wasn’t a person approaching, but a primordial, ferocious beast—something like a raptor king of old.

’Is this a manifestation of true intent?’ Zhu Ge narrowed his eyes.

To be able to achieve something like this, the chubby boy had clearly manifested his intent.

However, all of his Blood Qi seemed to be concentrated in that pair of chain hammers.

"Mister Zhu Ge! I am Yu Nianhe, ranked eighty-third on the Spring Rain List, and I have come to request a battle!"

The chubby boy, Yu Nianhe, stopped a short distance away and offered a respectful, cupped-fist salute.

’Eighty-third on the Spring Rain List?’

Zhu Ge was taken aback.

’This Yu Nianhe looks to be only thirteen or fourteen, and he’s already on the list?’

The Sheji Chart, after all, only ranked prodigies under the age of thirty.

In fact, for both the Spring Rain List and the Raccoon Fur List, the most frequent changes were always among the prodigies ranked below fiftieth place.

The top fifty remained mostly static, but the rankings below that were constantly in flux.

This Yu Nianhe, for instance, had only been added to the Sheji Chart in its most recent iteration.

Furthermore, he followed the Hammer Dao, which was similar to the Sword Dao. Rumor had it that when he brandished his two great hammers, they carried the force of wind and thunder, capable of killing an ordinary Third-Realm Demon Beast with a single touch.

"A battle? I like the sound of that!"

Zhu Ge grinned and took out his Purgatory Star Rod.

"Oh? I didn’t realize you also had a Martial Dao cultivation, Mister Zhu Ge." Yu Nianhe’s eyes brightened.

"You didn’t know?" Zhu Ge raised an eyebrow.

Yu Nianhe shook his head. "My father told me my greatest weakness is that I only know how to clash head-on. He wanted me to come and gain some experience against your Confucian Dao, Mister Zhu Ge, and to see for myself what the great talents of this world are like."

’So that’s how it is...’ Zhu Ge nodded slightly.

He could imagine that there would be more and more prodigies like Yu Nianhe in the future.

But regardless of whether their intentions were good or ill, Zhu Ge would face them all.

"Alright. Let’s fight!"

Zhu Ge leaped into the air and landed in front of Yu Nianhe.

Liu Jianjian immediately scampered over to Mazhu, propped her chin on her hands, and rested them on Mazhu’s head. "Yay! They’re gonna fight, they’re gonna fight!"

True Monarch Minmian also watched the battlefield with great interest. "Heh heh, Little Hedgehog, care to make a wager...?"

Zhu Ge felt a bit exasperated listening to the conversation behind him. He quickly said, "Yu Nianhe, let’s make this a friendly spar and pull our punches. How about that?"

"You got it!" Yu Nianhe nodded.

The next moment, the two exchanged cupped-fist salutes, then raised their weapons.

The moment Yu Nianhe lifted his twin hammers, his entire aura changed abruptly.

The round, adorable boy from moments before vanished, replaced by a ferocious beast radiating an aura of pure violence.

The ground beneath his feet cracked, and shattered stones were sent flying by an invisible shockwave of power.

"Mister Zhu Ge, here I come!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, Yu Nianhe’s figure vanished from sight.

His movement wasn’t about speed, but weight—each step he took blew a crater in the ground as his body shot toward Zhu Ge like a cannonball.

He swung his twin hammers, one after the other. The first aimed for Zhu Ge’s face, while the second sealed off his retreat.

Zhu Ge’s pupils contracted. He activated the Incense Lighting Body Technique, his form becoming like smoke and mist as he drifted to the left.

At the same time, he swept out with the Purgatory Star Rod, its tip tapping the side of the incoming hammer, redirecting its force to knock the weapon aside.

CLANG—

The clash of metal was deafening. The webbing of Zhu Ge’s hand went numb, but he had successfully dodged the first hammer.

Yu Nianhe’s second hammer followed instantly. With no time to counter, Zhu Ge could only bring the Purgatory Star Rod up to block.

BOOM—

Zhu Ge was thrown back several steps, his feet plowing two shallow furrows in the ground.

Yu Nianhe hadn’t come out unscathed, either. The rebound force knocked his second hammer aside, and he staggered for a moment before regaining his footing.

"Incredible rod technique!" Yu Nianhe’s eyes shone. "Mister Zhu Ge, you’re the founder of the New Confucian Dao, yet your Martial Dao is this powerful!"

"You’re not bad yourself," Zhu Ge said, shaking out his numb wrist. "Again!"

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