Pope Paul's strength had remained at its current level for decades.
He needed to encounter someone stronger than himself to achieve further progress.
Chinese cultivators had always been his target, and he didn't want to miss this opportunity now that there was news of one.
Although the identity of the Chinese TCM practitioner had not been confirmed, he could guess that Xia Feng was a cultivator.
He had heard the Chinese idiom, "Opportunities are rare and never come again."
Therefore, he had to create an opportunity for himself.
Pope Paul was an old demon who had lived for several hundred years; he thought further and more clearly than others.
...
A certain club in Modu.
"Young Master Pu, welcome back," Zheng Bing said respectfully to the man in front of him.
"Ah Bing, how have things been in Modu lately? Has anyone bullied you?" Pu Zaiye asked, leaning back with his legs crossed and glancing sideways at Zheng Bing.
"No, no, I'm just an ordinary citizen, who would bully me?" Zheng Bing quickly shook his head.
"My senior brother will be here soon. You must entertain him well. It's his first time out of the mountains, and he's very curious about the outside world," Pu Zaiye instructed.
Pu Zaiye was considered a wealthy young master in Modu. Years ago, he was taken in by a cultivator and disappeared for years. This time, he came down the mountain mainly to have his family provide funds to purchase some new items for the mountain.
No matter how powerful cultivators were, they couldn't live without eating or drinking. Cultivation was originally a very expensive endeavor, and they were also human; they needed three meals a day.
This time, his senior brother had also come down the mountain with Pu Zaiye.
"Young Master Pu, how did you endure these past few years on the mountain?" Zheng Bing asked curiously.
He knew Pu Zaiye had gone to practice martial arts with an old man years ago.
Zheng Bing was unclear about cultivators; in his mind, it was like going to a temple to practice some form of cultivation or martial arts.
But could anyone live like that?
There was nothing on the mountain, and his mouth was practically numb from bland food. Moreover, there were no physical outlets, which was worse than killing him.
The thought made Zheng Bing's scalp tingle. Wasn't that just asking for trouble and suffering? Da Feng Novel
"Alas... I had the same thoughts as you back then. Later, I realized there's always someone better, and some things you don't know. I can't tell you everything, but to go to such a place depends on opportunity."
"Do you believe someone can kill a bull with one punch? Do you believe there are people who can scale walls and leap over roofs? The 'water walking' often shown on TV is actually based on reality."
Pu Zaiye thought of his efforts and hardships over the years and felt it was all worth it.
Because he had discovered a different world, a world he had never believed in before. It was as if in this world, people could push themselves to their limits, beyond normal human imagination.
"No way, you mean it's real?" Zheng Bing asked, looking disbelieving.
"What I just said is me. I can do it now."
After speaking, Pu Zaiye picked up the ashtray on the coffee table and crushed it with his right hand. The glass ashtray instantly turned into powder.
Zheng Bing was dumbfounded.
"Is that even humanly possible?"
"How much strength would it take to crush an ashtray into powder?"
"If that was on my head, wouldn't it...?"
"This... Young Master Pu... you..."
Zheng Bing stammered, pointing at the ashtray.
"Don't be so surprised. This is just basic stuff for me, nothing to be alarmed about!" Pu Zaiye thoroughly enjoyed Zheng Bing's astonishment and fear.
He was just a low-level disciple on the mountain and could only show off in front of Zheng Bing.
"Young Master Pu, if you're already this amazing, wouldn't you be untouchable if you returned? What's there to be afraid of?" Zheng Bing said earnestly.
"Haha... you think too much. We have our own rules, and we can't attack ordinary people without reason."
Pu Zaiye himself would have loved to return and flaunt his power, embrace women, and beat up anyone he disliked until they submitted.
Later, he learned that they were cultivators and were subject to the cultivators' code. If anyone violated the code, they would become the enemy of all cultivators.
Unless you were so overwhelmingly powerful that a group couldn't defeat you, and your cultivation had reached a level where you could disregard the code, it was best to abide by it.
In this day and age, after finally gaining some strength, who could resist showing off?
Otherwise, what was the point of having such strength?
There were always more people who liked to be high-profile than low-profile.
Some people buy a luxury car and, upon returning to their hometown, roll down all the windows, turn up the stereo to the max, and wish the entire village knew they were back.
He loved the envious glances from everyone in the village, and for his words to be full of praise.
Vanity, everyone has it.
Zheng Bing's current look of envy and admiration made Pu Zaiye quite pleased.
"Young Master Pu, then your senior brother must be even more powerful than you?" Zheng Bing, finally recovering from his shock, quickly asked.
"Naturally," Pu Zaiye confirmed with a nod.
"The way you describe it, I'm suddenly filled with longing," Zheng Bing said enviously.
"Haha... give up that idea," Pu Zaiye laughed.
Before they could chat for long, a man with a sinister look walked in and said boldly, "Junior brother, the food outside is so delicious. These girls are dressed so revealingly. Can we have some fun tonight?"
Seeing his senior brother enter, Pu Zaiye quickly stood up and said respectfully, "Senior brother, please sit down. I guarantee you'll have a great time. This is an old friend of mine. Whatever you want to do tonight, he'll arrange it perfectly."
Pu Zaiye pointed to Zheng Bing, who was standing nearby, to introduce him.
Pu Zaiye's senior brother was named Murong Chenggong, the grandson of the Great Elder of the Laoshan Sect. He held a high position within the sect. He came down the mountain with Pu Zaiye this time because Pu Zaiye had constantly talked about the alluring world outside.
Murong Chenggong's ears had grown tired of hearing about it, and now that he finally had the chance to descend, he naturally didn't want to miss it.
As expected, it hadn't disappointed him; there were women with long legs and beautiful faces everywhere on the streets.
Unlike the women in the mountains, who all wore long robes and revealed nothing but their exquisite faces.
"Good, then find the most noble woman to entertain me."
Murong Chenggong said with a wicked smile, full of excitement.
Since he had finally come down the mountain, it would be a disservice to not indulge himself.
"Young Master Pu, your senior brother seems to look down on the girls at the club. Are we going to find someone outside?"
Zheng Bing understood what was implied and quietly whispered to Pu Zaiye.
Pu Zaiye naturally understood. It was a rare opportunity for his senior brother to come down the mountain, and it was his chance to impress. He didn't want to miss this chance.
"If we're going to find someone, we should find the best."