This was definitely not a situation the higher-ups on either side wanted to see.

Therefore, at least before a winner was decided in that battle, the basic order could not be disrupted.

And even if things truly descended into chaos and a massive brawl broke out, Chen Jun couldn’t guarantee he could lock onto Zou Feng and get a one-on-one duel for revenge.

"It won’t work if I just go looking for him to settle the score directly. But... what if I issue a formal challenge to that beast beforehand and see if the little bastard dares to accept?"

Zhang Changchun was startled for a moment, then immediately realized this was, in theory, certainly feasible.

After all, when the time came, the battle between Su Qingyu and Gongsun Xiang would be the main event, but it wouldn’t be breaking the unspoken rules if others wanted to settle their grievances and exact revenge through fair duels, right?

But the question was, would Zou Feng agree?

In any case, Zhang Changchun couldn’t imagine any possibility of Zou Feng agreeing to fight Chen Jun.

"When I issue the challenge, I will swear a Heart Demon Poison Oath to guarantee a fair duel. No one else, especially my fellow disciples from the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, will be allowed to interfere!" Chen Jun said, his gaze sharp.

Hearing this, Zhang Changchun’s eyes lit up.

No one else being allowed to interfere... for Zou Feng, who would certainly be there, this was indeed somewhat appealing.

After all, this would most likely prevent those from the Righteous Sects—whether they wanted revenge on him or were desperate to claim the reward for the Demon Slaying Order—from swarming him all at once and making him the priority target if the situation descended into chaos.

Of course, this only meant there was a *chance* he would agree.

"Brother Chen, for that Zou Feng to be able to harm Junior Brother He, his Poison Skill must have already become formidable."

"If he really agrees to this duel, what are your chances of winning?"

Chen Jun smiled calmly. "I have observed the sword scar for over a month. Although I’ve had some insights, many things still need to be tested in actual combat."

"My Sword Dao has always achieved its transformations through slaughter. This time will be no exception!"

"You ask what my chances are?"

"A hundred percent, of course!"

As the Sword Cultivator among the Seven Swords with the most explosive temper and heaviest killing intent, Chen Jun’s Sword Dao was indeed founded on slaughter.

To this day, countless fiends of the Evil Dao had been cut down by his sword.

In the past, Chen Jun had broken through to new Realms on several occasions, advancing smoothly after successfully slaying a demon.

Therefore, seeing him so full of confidence, Zhang Changchun immediately realized that Chen Jun likely wanted to use this battle to kill Zou Feng and, in doing so, achieve a clear and untroubled mind, allowing him to smoothly advance to Second Grade.

’No, looking at Chen Jun’s current state, he might just break through to the Second Grade Realm even before the duel arrives...’

"Junior Brother Zhang, have some tea. This particular Spirit Tea is from the East Sea..."

As Chen Jun explained how he had chanced upon this extremely high-quality Spirit Tea, he picked up his own cup and took a few sips.

And though Zhang Changchun also picked up his cup, his expression suddenly became incredibly strange.

"Brother Chen, I understand the wonders and principles of this tea, but you don’t have to stick your pinky out to drink it, do you?" Zhang Changchun couldn’t help but retort.

One must understand that Chen Jun, nicknamed the Fire Fierce Sword, had always been the epitome of overflowing masculinity within the Sect.

He was tall and mighty in appearance, with thick eyebrows, large eyes, and a bristly, steel-like beard. He had not a trace of femininity and could be called a man’s man.

Furthermore, when teaching his male disciples, Chen Jun always emphasized that a real man must be fierce enough when wielding a sword.

He believed that as long as one strove to be a "real man" in daily life, their Sword Skill would become incomparably fierce and powerful as well.

And yet, this widely acknowledged "real man" of the Celestial Essence Sword Sect, this paragon of masculinity, was sticking his pinky out while drinking tea!?

The dissonance was so extreme that Zhang Changchun found it impossible to accept.

"Heh heh, I just like to stick my pinky out when I drink tea. Is that a problem for you, Junior Brother?" After speaking, Chen Jun even rolled his eyes at Zhang Changchun.

That eye-roll instantly sent a chill down Zhang Changchun’s spine.

’What the hell? Why did Brother Chen’s tone and gaze just now... seem like a sissy’s?’

"Alright, it’s nothing to make a fuss about. One of the ultimate principles of the Sword Dao I’ve comprehended from observing the sword scar these past days is that the path of the sword requires a balance of hardness and softness."

"A Sword Dao that blindly pursues only ferocity, one that would rather break than bend, is not applicable in every situation!"

Upon hearing this, Zhang Changchun was stunned for a moment, then managed an awkward but polite smile.

Again, he understood the principle. But Chen Jun was clearly being effeminate now, his movements and expressions so affected they were cringeworthy. ’And you call this a balance of hardness and softness?’

As he frantically roasted him in his mind and his doubts grew, Zhang Changchun, who had originally been very confident in Chen Jun and believed him to be the certain victor if Zou Feng agreed to the duel, suddenly began to feel his own heart pound with uncertainty.

’Can Brother Chen really win in this improper state?’

The next moment, Zhang Changchun slowly turned his head to look at the sword scar left on the cliff face by the previous Sword Saint.

In truth, he had already seen this sword scar countless times and had also gleaned some insights about the Sword Dao from it.

At this very moment, however, Zhang Changchun suddenly noticed a detail he had never paid attention to before.

The sword scar wasn’t straight. It was bent...

「Meanwhile」

Zou Feng, who had just finished his Cultivation of the Formless Divine Skill, slowly opened his eyes.

Since he had confiscated the "True Self Pills" from Yuchi Jue, which were specifically used to aid in the Cultivation of the Formless Divine Skill, Zou Feng’s progress with the skill could be described as advancing a thousand miles a day.

Of course, his Cultivation of any Evil Skill now was practically lightning-fast, at least before reaching the stage of Refined Skill.

"Formless Divine Skill (Integration and Mastery), Progress: 52%"

’It’s only been a few short days since I obtained the Formless Divine Skill. It feels like I’ve barely practiced, yet I’ve already reached Integration and Mastery with this Skill.’

’And in a few more days, reaching the Realm of Refining Fire will be no problem at all.’ 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

There was still over a month until Su Qingyu and Gongsun Xiang’s duel at the Forbidden City Peak.

Zou Feng was even confident he could bring the Formless Divine Skill to the Peak of Perfection within this month.

He had such confidence not only because of the "True Self Pills" and the assistance of the Spiritual Liquid during Cultivation.

More importantly, the greatest difficulty of this Skill was actually its bizarre side effect.

Under normal circumstances, even a genius suited for this Skill wouldn’t dare to practice it at full intensity.

After all, as one practiced, they would almost inevitably begin to question their own gender and commit unconventional acts they never would have dreamed of before.

For example, waking up one morning to find that you, a grown man, had applied rouge and were wearing your wife’s bodice...

In short, it was like suddenly suffering from cultivation deviation—all sorts of involuntary actions. Who could stand that?

Therefore, when cultivating this Skill, one needed to stop from time to time to adjust their mentality and rediscover their true sense of self.

This was also why the auxiliary Elixir for cultivating the Formless Divine Skill was named the "True Self Pill."

As the name implied, this item was a superior Elixir used to keep one’s mind from having problems and to maintain one’s "true self."

However, this greatest difficulty was something Zou Feng didn’t need to worry about at all.

Looking at the current "top contributor," Chen Jun, Zou Feng was rather curious. ’What has that guy turned into by now?’

Besides cultivating the Formless Divine Skill, he couldn’t neglect the Corpse Luo Heart Scripture, which was also close to reaching the Peak of Perfection.

When the time came to go to the Forbidden City to observe the fight, having another Cultivation Skill at the Peak of Perfection would naturally provide an extra layer of security.

’But even so, it’s still not safe enough...’

’After all, I have a Demon Slaying Order on my head. Although I have fellow Evil Cultivators on my side, very few of these guys can truly be trusted.’

’Besides, I have a whole host of enemies in the Celestial Essence Sword Sect and the Xuanhuang Sect.’

’These people are all True Qi Realm experts. Even if I made them my "top contributors" one by one, I wouldn’t have enough time to cause major problems for all of them.’

’So, should I just stand Su Qingyu up and not go?’

At this thought, Zou Feng immediately shook his head.

’That won’t work. Although I’m not afraid of the Five Poison Heart Devouring Curse activating, the damn thing has a tracking effect on me, and I have no way to remove the curse for now.’

’If Su Qingyu really wins that duel and decides to settle this score afterward, I’ll be in even greater danger.’

’The Hundred-legged Ancestor who tried to flee his battle back then was beaten so badly that he still hasn’t fully recovered.’