Xia Feng was now mostly certain he could return to Earth at the appointed time.
This conversation with Dong Huang Zhong made Xia Feng feel that the ancient divine artifact truly lived up to its reputation.
After everyone finished their day's cultivation, they ate grilled fish caught by Jack Ma in the evening.
Jack Ma had been extremely thorough, preparing grilled fish, boiled fish, braised fish, fish soup, and more.
To be able to have such delicacies while cultivating in a place like Kunlun Mountain was quite enjoyable.
That night, everyone returned to their tents to sleep. Jack Ma immediately began cultivating, the methods given to him by Xia Feng playing in his mind.
Aside from the age gap, Jack Ma was a very intelligent person and quickly grasped the key to cultivation.
While others slept, Jack Ma cultivated. This continued for three consecutive days.
To ensure he could make a comeback against all odds, Jack Ma endured for two more days, until the fifth day...
"Old Ma, your task this morning is to wash all of our clothes."
Just after breakfast, Penguin Ma threw a pile of clothes in front of Jack Ma.
These were the clothes of himself, Old Wang, Jiang Quanshui, and Lei Ming.
Even their underwear, as small as they were, was piled on top. This was a bit excessive.
"What did you just say? I didn't hear you clearly. Say it again?" Jack Ma lay on the grass, one leg crossed over the other's knee, swinging back and forth.
He was chewing on a blade of grass, looking lazy and utterly arrogant.
Just then, Old Wang and Lei Ming walked over. Seeing the arrogant Jack Ma, Old Wang said, "Teacher Ma, are you planning to erupt in silence?"
Jack Ma had been silent for several days, enduring patiently. Was he finally planning to resist?
"I haven't beaten you up much these past few days. Are you getting itchy skin?" Penguin Ma sneered, thinking to himself: People are just cheap. If you don't beat them for three days, they'll climb onto the roof and tear off tiles. These past five days without a beating, and they're ready to demolish the house.
"Xiao Ma, brother will give you a chance to kneel and apologize. Otherwise, starting today, you will experience what a nightmare is. The humiliation you inflicted on me, I, Jack Ma, will repay a hundredfold today."
After speaking, Jack Ma lowered his leg and slowly stood up.
"Damn it, you're getting bold." Penguin Ma immediately made his move.
Jack Ma looked at Penguin Ma attacking him. His body naturally twisted, and he grabbed Penguin Ma with one hand.
Penguin Ma's face changed drastically. He found himself exerting all his strength, but he couldn't break free from Jack Ma's grip.
Bang...
Jack Ma grabbed Penguin Ma with his right hand and slowly kicked out with his left foot, hitting Penguin Ma in the stomach.
Penguin Ma cried out in pain. Before he could react, Jack Ma's big slap landed.
Because Jack Ma was holding him, Penguin Ma couldn't escape.
Slap, slap, slap...
Penguin Ma's face swelled up on both sides from the slaps, and his glasses flew high before falling to the ground.
"This is for bullying me before."
"This is for your arrogance. I'll beat you to death."
"Are you still arrogant now?"
"This morning, I have three tasks for you: wash clothes, catch ten rabbits, and catch fifty fish. If you don't do it, you'll eat shit."
"From today onwards, I'll assign you tasks. If you fail to complete them, your punishment will be to eat shit."
Old Wang and Lei Ming watched with wide eyes.
Had Jack Ma become this powerful in just a few days?
This was a beatdown from start to finish.
The drastic change was hard for Penguin Ma to accept. When he could no longer bear the beatings from Jack Ma, he grudgingly chose to accept.
A wise man knows when to retreat. He couldn't understand why Jack Ma had suddenly changed and could now so easily defeat him.
He didn't believe Jack Ma had been enduring all this time, or he wouldn't have let him be bullied for so long.
Penguin Ma washed clothes by the lake with tears in his eyes, constantly thinking about Jack Ma's changes in the past few days.
He suddenly had a flash of insight, remembering how Jack Ma had suddenly surrendered five days ago. That was probably when it all started.
With this realization, Penguin Ma washed the clothes with even more effort.
It must have been because of Xia Shao. Jack Ma must have asked Xia Shao for something.
Penguin Ma wasn't stupid. He quickly found the reason for the change and went to find Xia Feng that evening.
Penguin Ma became the sixth person to start cultivating, after Xia Lin, Jack Ma, Liu Jingru, Qin Wen, and Ma Yuqin.
For a period afterward, Penguin Ma endured for a few days, and then he and Jack Ma began a cultivation competition.
They both wanted to suppress each other, constantly cultivating fiercely, chasing and overtaking one another.
Sixty days flew by in an instant.
After sixty days of cultivation, Xia Lin and the others had undergone earth-shattering changes.
After leaving Kunlun Mountain, they headed directly to Mount Taibai to participate in the Global Martial Arts Tournament.
They arrived at Mount Taibai in the afternoon; the tournament was scheduled for the next day.
Mount Taibai is the highest peak in the Qinling Mountains, also known as Mount Taiyi. It was once said to be the place where the real Taiyi attained enlightenment and became immortal.
Whether this was true or not was a legend.
The foothills of Mount Taibai were populated with many folk customs. If one didn't stay in the county town, then homestays were the only option.
Mount Taibai was a tourist destination, and suddenly many domestic and international tourists arrived. The locals weren't surprised.
After all, people visited year-round, and there had just been a recent increase.
Murong Tiangu had pre-booked a large homestay hotel, occupying half of the rooms.
Many cultivators from China, who lived secluded in their mountain sects year-round, had no identification. They brought their own tents and slept outdoors at Mount Taibai.
"Tomorrow, you all will participate in the competition. This is a great opportunity for training," Xia Feng said, calling Jack Ma, Penguin Ma, Xia Lin, Liu Jingru, Qin Wen, and Ma Yuqin into the room.
These six had already begun cultivating, and Xia Feng planned for them to participate in the tournament together to gain experience.
If only Xia Lin participated, it would be too monotonous. Having a few more people join would help Xia Lin feel less anxious.
"Xia Shao, what kind of strength do the participants in this tournament generally have?" Jack Ma asked.
"Basically, it's mostly participation from small sects. The truly powerful sects are in seclusion, and they won't be attending," Xia Feng explained to Jack Ma.
Like the four hidden aristocratic families, they disdained participating in such tournaments.
Many powerful foreign sects also wouldn't attend. In their eyes, the pursuit of the Heavenly Dao was the only truth.
Who would bother participating in these useless competitions?
"So, does that mean we can just beat up the weaklings?" Qin Wen asked with a smile.
"More or less. With your strength, beating up the weaklings shouldn't be a problem," Xia Feng nodded.
"Haha..." Hearing Xia Feng say that, everyone's mood instantly relaxed.
What was there to fear about going to beat up weaklings and show off?
Suddenly, the group began to look forward to this Global Martial Arts Tournament.