Chapter 36: Feng Ping Battles Lu Ci, Fire Escape Technique

"Damn, that spiky-haired white-head has incredible strength!"

"Just how strong is he? And the most insane part is that he’s standing right on the surface of the water!"

"That's Lu Ci, one of the Twin Jades of the Lu family. My god, is this the level of the elite in the younger generation?"

On the riverbank, onlookers watched the spectacle, buzzing with discussion.

Seeing the pleasure boat brought to a halt by his own hands, Lu Ci let his arms drop. He arched a brow at Feng Ping in a provocative gesture, his face bearing a ferocity that seemed far too mature for his years. Though the second young master of the Lu family was only about fifteen, he had accompanied his father on several campaigns against horse bandits over the past few years. Having shed blood, he naturally exuded a fierce, murderous aura.

On the boat, Feng Ping’s expression was grim. Lu Ci’s persistent provocation had pushed him past his limit.

"You mad dog! You’ve looked down on me time and again. Today, I’ll show you the techniques of the Fire Virtue Sect!"

Feng Ping’s hands ignited, instantly erupting into roaring flames.

"Flowing Fire Orbs!"

A barrage of scorching fireballs flew from his hands in rapid succession.

As the rolling heat wave surged toward him, Lu Ci coated his hands in his Ruyi Qi. Using a technique akin to the Tai Chi principle of using four ounces to deflect a thousand pounds, he easily swatted the fireballs away and sneered:

"Mere parlor tricks!"

Feng Ping’s face darkened. Realizing that ranged attacks were ineffective against Lu Ci, he extended a hand, and deep red flames surged from his palm, forming a simple, sub-meter-long flame blade.

"Try this on for size!"

Feng Ping raised the blade high and leaped from the boat, hacking down toward Lu Ci, intent on close-quarters combat.

Watching this, Zhang Zhiwei nodded to himself, thinking: *Condensing a flame blade for melee—that’s a clever idea.*

The heat wave was intense. Without protective measures, one would be roasted even without being struck by the blade after just a few exchanges.

*It’s a pity, though. Feng Ping’s Qi lacks the necessary intensity; I doubt he can break through Lu Ci’s protective Ruyi Qi.*

*They seem to be getting genuinely heated. I should prepare myself, just in case things get out of hand...*

Zhang Zhiwei brought his fingers together to form a sword gesture. A glimmer of golden light manifested at his fingertips and spread out, forming two thin golden threads that snaked along the ground and into the water. One appeared beneath Lu Ci’s feet, and the other beneath Feng Ping’s, ready to act at a moment’s notice; with a mere thought, he could pull them apart.

Since this mess started because of him, he couldn't just stand by and let someone get hurt.

On the field, the situation unfolded exactly as Zhang Zhiwei had anticipated.

After a few rounds of combat, Lu Ci unleashed a burst of power from his palms, seizing Feng Ping’s flame blade and preventing it from moving an inch.

"Is this all your technique has to offer?"

Lu Ci sneered. His Ruyi Qi erupted from his palms, coiling around the flame blade and snaking toward Feng Ping.

Noticing this, Feng Ping dispelled the blade, stepped back onto the flames, and waved his hand, sending two tongues of fire lashing toward Lu Ci’s face.

Lu Ci raised both arms, swatting away the fireballs with one hand and striking out with the other. A surge of Ruyi Qi left his body, twisting and turning in the air like a dragon, lunging straight for Feng Ping.

Seeing this, Zhang Zhiwei muttered to himself, *Looks like I need to step in. Lu Ci’s fundamentals are much more solid than Feng Ping’s. Even with such an aggressive style, Feng Ping is already struggling to defend...*

The golden threads rose, ready to pull them apart.

At the same time, the host, Lu Jin, could no longer sit idly by. Unable to watch his friend get hurt, he jammed his candied hawthorn stick into the ground—the wooden stake sinking three inches deep—and dashed toward Lu Ci.

As one of the Four Families, Lu Jin was well aware of Lu Ci’s methods. Ruyi Qi was as flexible as it was powerful; attacking the Qi projectiles in mid-air was ineffective because they could change direction. To intercept the Ruyi Qi, it was better to strike at Lu Ci himself.

On the bank, Lu Ci’s older brother, Lu Ren, stood with his arms crossed, showing no intention of interfering. After all, it wasn't his younger brother suffering, and it was Feng Ping who had attacked first. Even if their elders blamed them later, they would have the moral high ground.

"Lu Jin, what’s the meaning of this? Trying to tip the scales, are you?"

On the water, seeing Lu Jin move to intervene, Lu Ci stomped his foot. The force erupted from his soles, propelling him backward and away from the incoming Lu Jin. With a flick of his finger, he continued to manipulate the Ruyi Qi toward Feng Ping.

*Boom!*

A sharp whistle cut through the air.

Just as the Ruyi Qi was about to strike Feng Ping, a thin golden thread emerged from the water, wrapping around Feng Ping’s ankle, ready to yank him away.

Suddenly, Feng Ping’s face swelled uncontrollably. Restless flames surged from his seven orifices, and then, he exploded with a roar.

The exploding flames gathered around Feng Ping’s body like a gate. As he fell into the center, his form wavered like a candle flame in the wind, slowly dissipating until he vanished entirely.

*Boom!*

The Ruyi Qi tore through the space where he had been, striking nothing but air.

*Swish!*

The golden threads also grasped at empty space.

*I see. So, this is the Fire Escape Technique...* Zhang Zhiwei thought, deactivating his Golden Light Spell and glancing to the side.

*Did he appear over there?*

Zhang Zhiwei’s gaze landed on a brazier on the pleasure boat.

The flames within the brazier suddenly flared, flickering with faint, hidden runes. After a brief transformation, the intense red fire rolled into a sphere, and from within it, a person popped out—it was none other than the vanished Feng Ping.

Stepping off the brazier, Feng Ping thought, *That was close.* Fortunately, he had intended to perform a "human vanishing act" earlier and had planted a spark on the boat's deck in advance, or he would have been in real trouble.

If he had taken that Ruyi Qi strike from Lu Ci, he wouldn't have died, but he certainly would have been bedridden for a week or two.

"Damn that mad dog! He’s actually this strong!" Feng Ping glared at Lu Ci.

At that moment, Lu Ci was confronting Lu Jin.

"Lu Jin!" Lu Ci demanded, "What is your problem?!"

"We’re all friends here. Let’s keep the peace—no need to get hurt!" Lu Jin replied hurriedly.

"Hurt? This kid has attacked me twice, and you didn't stop him. The moment I strike, you step in? I see—you’re just looking for trouble. Come on then, let’s go for three hundred rounds! Let me see the techniques the Great Profound Immortal of the Three-One Sect passed down to you!"

As he spoke, Lu Ci pivoted and dashed toward Lu Jin, who stood by the canal.

There was a reason Lu Ci was called a "mad dog," and it wasn't without cause. Of course, he wasn't purely insane; there was method to his madness.

He attacked Lu Jin partly because he was genuinely annoyed, but also because he wanted to test Lu Jin’s true strength. The Four Families of the world of outcasts were ostensibly united, but there were undercurrents of conflict beneath the surface. Lu Jin would eventually be a rival to his older brother, Lu Ren. As the younger brother, it was only natural for him to use his Ruyi Qi to pave the way.

At fifteen, Lu Jin was also young and full of vigor, possessing the Triple Inversion technique. In front of such a crowd, how could he possibly back down from Lu Ci’s challenge?

They clashed immediately. Due to the nature of their power, Lu Jin chose to fight on the bank rather than on the water.

Both were elites of the younger generation, and their rapid-fire movements left the onlookers stunned, drawing gasps of awe.

However, Zhang Zhiwei wasn't looking at them. He was staring at the brazier beneath Feng Ping’s feet, lost in thought.

*This sensation... it’s less like teleportation and more like slipping into a different space for an instant, a brief borrowing of a path.*