"Is there no problem?" Wu Piwu asked with some uncertainty.
Chu Minghao, however, laughed heartily and said, "There will definitely be no problem, trust me!"
Wu Piwu still hesitated.
After thinking for a moment, he said, "I can't say my current strength is very weak, but it certainly isn't strong either. I've just told you the specific composition of my techniques, my realm, and the three fundamental attributes. Brother Chu, please be honest with me, this isn't just a trick to lure me out to get beaten up, is it?"
"How could that be?" Chu Minghao replied earnestly, "If your strength were converted into Daoist cultivation, it would be equivalent to at least seventy years of cultivation. The person who ambushed you has at most twenty or thirty years of cultivation, and their skills are disordered and chaotic, far inferior to your focused and pure physical body. You will definitely win."
Wu Piwu felt somewhat reassured but couldn't help but ask, "How is strength evaluated between different systems in the Dream World? Is there a standard evaluation method?"
Chu Minghao chuckled and said, "How could there be? From what I've randomly penetrated through those high-level, mid-level, and even low-level worlds, Buddhism, Daoism, Christianity, esoteric teachings, etc., each has its own calculation methods. There are terms like bhikshu, arhat, bodhisattva, buddha, daoist, celestial beings, immortals, sages, heroes, demigods, angels, divine sons... the list goes on and on. This Daoist cultivation is merely a term I find best suited for digitalization; the true strength can only be known through combat."
Wu Piwu still felt unsatisfied and said, "There must be a common evaluation standard, right? Otherwise, we aren't as strong as you, and we can't just fight everything and see what happens. What if we try and end up dead? Who would we go to for an explanation?"
Chu Minghao nodded in agreement, "That's the reasoning, so I'm thinking of ways to see if I can obtain a few detection-type, observation-type fantasy objects to upgrade the main brain. Then I can interact with various bizarre, terrifying, and nightmarish entities from different systems to evaluate some data, striving to upgrade the main brain to establish a digital combat power evaluation standard in the shortest time possible."
Wu Piwu and Yamada both exclaimed in surprise, "The main brain can be upgraded?"
Chu Minghao laughed heartily, "Why not? The main brain is constantly changing; updating and iterating is a common occurrence. Moreover, I have a share in the main brain, so as long as there are enough materials and data, upgrading the main brain isn't a difficult task."
At this moment, several eunuchs ran out from the palace, and Chu Minghao whispered to the three, "Just follow my arrangements. You must fight this battle; otherwise, once I leave, you will be like floating duckweed without roots. It may not matter in the short term, but over time, it will become a hindrance. To forge iron, one must be strong oneself, and this battle is when you can demonstrate your strength. The better you perform, the stronger you become, and the less hindrance you will face afterward. Do you understand?"
"This way, you will have enough time to grow."
The eunuchs then approached the four, and the leading eunuch respectfully bowed and said, "Immortal, the National Master is waiting in the training ground. Please follow me."
Chu Minghao chuckled lightly, "Just lead the way."
The eunuchs led the way, and the four followed, winding around the outer side of the palace until they quickly arrived at a spacious training ground.
Surrounding the training ground were hundreds of imperial guards, and not far from the training ground stood a small palace.
In front of the palace door, a screen was set up, and several palace maids were moving in and out, carrying various fruits and pastries.
However, the four did not pay much attention to these and instead looked toward the center of the training ground, where an old man in a tattered Daoist robe stood.
Behind the old man were two humanoid figures over three meters tall, each as wide as two or three ordinary people.
The reason they were called figures was that, from the exposed parts, they appeared to be a mix of wood and metal, draped in yellow cloth that almost covered their entire bodies except for their arms and legs.
From the shape wrapped in the cloth, the figures looked round and plump.
The old man spotted Chu Minghao from a distance, trembling all over as if he had epilepsy, and deeply bowed, saying loudly, "Immortal, I have something to report."
Having heard Wu Piwu's introduction to this era, the Song Dynasty, and the teachings of Daoism, immortals, and deities, Chu Minghao quickly established his persona.
He was an immortal who had come from the South Sea Immortal Island of Penglai, traveling through the mortal realm with three immortal disciples to refine his Dao heart.
This was the basic character setup, and he was now indeed an immortal.
It was astonishing to Wu Piwu and Yamada that after deciding on all this, Chu Minghao appeared to them as if he had truly become ethereal.
Even though he still looked like a youth, carefree in his laughter and anger, he somehow exuded an aura of "immortality."
"Don't mind the low-level application of super brain abilities."
Though he said this, aside from Xu Shilan, Wu Piwu and Yamada were genuinely astonished.
At this moment, Chu Minghao also presented himself in an ethereal manner.
Anyone who saw him at first glance would undoubtedly think of the word "immortal."
Chu Minghao smiled and said, "Please, go ahead."
The old man in the Daoist robe felt as if he had been granted a reprieve and hurriedly said, "My name is Guo Jing, a scattered cultivator from Zhongnan Mountain, and I..."
Wu Piwu suddenly interrupted him, "That Jing?"
Guo Jing was momentarily stunned but dared not refuse to answer, saying, "The Jing of the capital city."
"Not Guo Jing? The Jing of the capital city, Guo Jing, sounds so familiar... Could he be some historical figure?"
Wu Piwu muttered to himself, and Guo Jing turned back to Chu Minghao, saying, "I..."
He paused, clearly having forgotten what he was about to say due to the interruption and his overly tense state.
At this moment, his mind went blank, cold sweat pouring down, his face pale, and the slight tremor he had just calmed down intensified again, causing him to shake like he had epilepsy.
Chu Minghao was about to speak with a smile, but upon seeing Guo Jing preparing to speak, he became even more frightened.
Suddenly, some colors appeared in his mind, and he quickly said, "I have diligently practiced Dao techniques for over thirty years, transforming my physical blood energy into divine thoughts within my mind. Without any refined magical tools or protective puppets, how could I possibly fight against blood energy warriors in close combat? I refuse to accept this!"
After saying this, Guo Jing's body swayed, nearly collapsing to the ground.
He feared that in the next moment, he would be done for, daring to speak so boldly to an immortal.
Chu Minghao, however, did not speak or show anger but instead looked at the two humanoid constructs over three meters tall.
After observing for a few seconds, he smiled and asked, "What are these? Please tell me."
Only then did Guo Jing feel as if he had survived.
He hurriedly said, "These are Golden Strength Warriors, modeled after the Yellow Turban Warriors described in ancient texts. I may not be as good as the Great Immortal Nanhua from the Three Kingdoms, but I have also specialized in this for over a decade, and I have finally refined these Golden Strength Warriors!"
Chu Minghao looked at Guo Jing with a half-smile, and as he saw Guo Jing trembling all over, he said to Wu Piwu, "Just go and fight him; there's no need to be afraid."
Wu Piwu's eyes widened as he looked at Chu Minghao, pointing at the two Golden Strength Warriors, "No, buddy, this is already equivalent to a giant robot, okay? And it's made of a mix of metal and wood. No, it's already absurd enough to have a giant robot in cultivation; you want me to go up and dismantle a giant robot?"
Chu Minghao chuckled, "Why so many words? Just go up when I tell you to."
After saying this, he patted Wu Piwu's shoulder, and Wu Piwu felt himself involuntarily flying toward the training ground.
When he landed, he was only ten meters away from Guo Jing.
Seeing that the immortal did not deny him or expose his secret, Guo Jing felt overjoyed and looked at Wu Piwu with confidence.
He even began to think of the tales he had read in immortal books, where mortals occasionally had fateful encounters and became disciples of immortals.
He decided to perform well to show the immortal his abilities.
As for the blood energy warrior in front of him... could he be an underling of the immortal?
Guo Jing then clasped his hands together and, within a second, made at least seven or eight hand gestures.
At the same time, his eyes shone brightly, and he chanted incantations.
In the next moment, dense white mist began to spread from the surroundings, enveloping most of the training ground.
The mist arrived mysteriously, with a strange supernatural power that made it impossible to see clearly even a meter away.
Yamada at the edge of the training ground felt her muscles tense, and Xu Shilan anxiously said to Chu Minghao, "Will there be any problems?"
Chu Minghao remained calm, "Don't worry, Brother Wu's extraordinary path just happens to counter these flashy tricks. Just watch."
Yamada said, "But we can't see anything."
Xu Shilan also looked at Chu Minghao, who tilted his head at a forty-five-degree angle to the sky and began to whistle.
On the other side, at a high platform far from the training ground, Zhao Ji, the ministers, and the princes were watching the training ground.
Zhao Ji held one of the Emperor's Six Seals, the Emperor's Faith Seal, which caused the mist in everyone's eyes to dissipate, allowing them to see clearly what was happening in the training ground.
"Lords, who do you think will win?" Zhao Ji asked.
The ministers fell silent, while several princes seemed eager to speak, as if they wanted to say something.
Zhao Ji merely said this and then muttered to himself, "After all, they are the disciples of immortals; they must have some marvelous techniques. Even if they are just martial artists who have endured hardships, they must be extraordinary..."
Meanwhile, once Wu Piwu entered the training ground, his attention was fully focused.
Seeing the thick mist around him, he did not move randomly but stood still.
At that moment, a Golden Strength Warrior stepped out from the mist, each step covering two meters, its over three-meter tall figure exuding an intimidating presence, causing the ground to tremble.
Wu Piwu silently lamented, but he was resolute and had experienced life and death many times.
At this moment, he naturally gathered his qi and blood, operating both his national martial arts and the immortal martial arts simultaneously.
In an instant, his muscles swelled by a third.
Facing the approaching Golden Strength Warrior, he advanced instead of retreating, striking out with a palm and claw toward the Golden Strength Warrior.
As Wu Piwu took his first step, qi sank into his dantian, blood surged through his limbs, and he let out a roar like thunder, as if a blood-colored giant tiger had descended from the heavens.
In an instant, the mist cleared completely, revealing the Golden Strength Warrior, which was about to smash its fist down on Wu Piwu's forehead, as well as the second Golden Strength Warrior attacking from behind, both standing frozen in place before disintegrating and collapsing, their parts scattering across the ground.
At the same time, Guo Jing, who was raising a talisman paper whip, a copper coin sword, and had a brass mirror hanging around his neck, spat out a mouthful of blood and also collapsed to the ground.
In the distance, Zhao Ji and the others were all stunned, witnessing the blood-colored giant tiger under the true vision of the Emperor's Faith Seal, as if it were about to pounce directly at them.
Wu Piwu stood there in a daze, momentarily as if in a dream.
Suddenly, he caught sight of two children slowly emerging from the Golden Strength Warrior.
One was a boy and the other a girl, both with pale skin and pitch-black pupils, their appearance terrifying.
As soon as they detached from the Golden Strength Warrior, they began to gradually dissipate, and in the final moment of their disappearance, both children smiled and deeply bowed to Wu Piwu.
Then they vanished beneath the sunlight.
(End of Chapter)