“Elder Duan, you are willing to become my master?”
Chu Feng was somewhat caught off guard by Elder Duan’s sudden decision.
“If you only want to take me as master out of gratitude, then I will absolutely not agree.”
“I cannot delay your future just for my own benefit.”
“But if you love stirring up trouble, and becoming your master would drag me into it.”
“Then I would insist on becoming your master. From now on, you can tell them that your master is me, Duan Liufeng.”
“If you cause trouble, let them come to me, Duan Liufeng, to settle the score.”
Duan Liufeng patted his chest as he spoke.
His posture looked as though he was ready to support Chu Feng.
Yet he clearly lacked the ability to do so.
But the fact that he was still willing to stand up for Chu Feng, even knowing he had no such ability, moved Chu Feng even more deeply.
Originally, Chu Feng had wanted to take Duan Liufeng as master simply because he felt guilty towards him.
He wanted to help him return to the Northern Xuan Courtyard.
But now, Chu Feng admired Duan Liufeng even more.
“Then this disciple pays respects to Master.”
As Chu Feng spoke, he prepared to perform the formal ceremony of taking a master.
“Sigh, there is no need for the formal master-disciple ceremony.”
“Chu Feng, in the future, if someone else wants to take you as disciple but you do not wish to accept them.”
“Then you can simply tell them that you already have a master, and that I, Duan Liufeng, am your master.”
“But if you encounter someone you truly want to take as master, then go ahead and do so. You do not need to consider my feelings.”
“However, you must never perform the grand master-disciple ceremony for me.”
“Because rather than being master and disciple, I would prefer us to be brothers.”
Duan Liufeng said to Chu Feng.
“Elder Duan, you…”
Chu Feng looked at Duan Liufeng with a complicated gaze.
“If you want to stir up trouble, go ahead and do it without worry.”
“I, Duan Liufeng, am not afraid of being implicated.”
Duan Liufeng said with a smile.
“But in reality, you still do not want to accept me as your disciple.”
Chu Feng replied.
“I, Duan Liufeng, honestly believe I do not have the ability to be anyone’s master.”
“As for you, Chu Feng, I truly admire you.”
“But if I were to become your master, I feel I am unworthy.”
“So in public, you can say that I am your master.”
“But in private, how about we address each other as brothers? What do you think?”
Duan Liufeng said to Chu Feng.
At this moment, Chu Feng finally understood Duan Liufeng’s true intention.
Duan Liufeng’s sudden agreement to become Chu Feng’s master was actually just him offering to act as a fake master.
He wanted to serve as a shield for Chu Feng.
To prevent other elders who wanted to take Chu Feng as disciple from constantly bothering him.
But Chu Feng did not need Duan Liufeng to act as his shield.
That was not Chu Feng’s way of doing things.
Chu Feng had wanted to take Duan Liufeng as master in order to help him enter the Northern Xuan Courtyard and to make up for what he owed him.
However, since Duan Liufeng did not care about such things, this form of compensation lost its meaning. Chu Feng no longer needed to insist on it.
“In that case, then we will not be master and disciple. We will just be brothers.”
Chu Feng said.
“It seems you do not need my help after all.”
“But that makes sense. In truth… I cannot really help you with anything.”
“Very well, then we shall be brothers.”
“So now, should I start calling you Little Brother Chu?”
Duan Liufeng was quite straightforward.
“Then should I call you Big Brother Duan?”
Chu Feng asked.
“Hahaha, of course. I am fully three thousand years older than you. Naturally, I am your elder brother.”
Duan Liufeng said with a laugh.
“Big Brother Duan, since we are now brothers, I will speak plainly.”
“I heard from Elder Dao Qinian that you have an injury which caused your cultivation to regress.”
“I happen to know a bit about boundary techniques. May I examine you?”
Chu Feng said to Duan Liufeng.
In truth, he knew that helping Duan Liufeng would be extremely difficult.
But he still wanted to try.
Even if he could not help Duan Liufeng, at least he would have made the effort and done his part.
“I never expected Little Brother Chu to also be proficient in boundary techniques.”
“Very well, since that is the case, please examine your elder brother.”
“Come, Little Brother Chu, please come inside.”
Duan Liufeng invited Chu Feng into his residence.
Then Chu Feng began to diagnose Duan Liufeng’s injury.
“Little Brother Chu, you are actually wearing the Dragon Pattern Sacred Robe?”
The moment Chu Feng displayed his boundary technique, joy appeared on Duan Liufeng’s face.
After all, Chu Feng’s cultivation was already in the Supreme Realm.
If his boundary technique had also reached the level of Dragon Pattern Sacred Robe, that would prove Chu Feng was a rare genius who excelled in both martial cultivation and boundary arts.
He had always held Chu Feng in high regard, and seeing such talent naturally made him happy.
Chu Feng merely gave a faint smile, then focused fully on pouring his mental power and boundary force into Duan Liufeng’s body.
After careful observation, he found that Duan Liufeng’s body showed no abnormalities except in one place: the dantian.
So Chu Feng turned his attention to the dantian.
And upon looking, what he saw startled him. Inside Duan Liufeng’s dantian was a ferocious entity.
It was a mass of purple flames, extremely vast and powerful, radiating a terrifying aura.
This thing was highly dangerous.
It was precisely this ferocious entity that had sealed Duan Liufeng’s power and even taken control of his entire dantian, causing his cultivation to be locked away.
If this ferocious entity could be removed, Duan Liufeng’s cultivation could recover, and in the future he could cultivate like a normal martial cultivator.
However, this entity was far too strong. Chu Feng’s current boundary technique was nowhere near sufficient.
Chu Feng did not even know what level of World Spiritist would be required to help Duan Liufeng.
But he knew that he himself was still very far from reaching that level.
“Big Brother Duan, what exactly was that trial back then?”
“Why is there such a ferocious entity inside your dantian?”
Chu Feng asked.
“Little Brother Chu, it is not that I do not want to tell you.”
“I am willing to address you as brother because I believe you have good character. Although we have only known each other for less than a day, I trust your character.”
“But this matter is better left unknown to you.”
“So please, Little Brother Chu, do not blame your elder brother.”
Duan Liufeng said.
“It is fine if you do not wish to say.”
“Big Brother Duan, in truth, your condition can be treated.”
“But the current me is far from capable.”
“If in the future my boundary technique improves to the point where I believe I can help you heal.”
“I will definitely help you expel this ferocious entity and allow you to become a true martial cultivator once more.”
Chu Feng said in a tone of assurance.
“Good. Truly worthy of being my good little brother.”
“Your elder brother will wait for the day when Little Brother Chu can heal me.”
“For now, let us first return to the Northern Xuan Courtyard.”
As Duan Liufeng spoke, he began packing his things.
“Big Brother Duan, since we have already decided to address each other as brothers, I… do not want to lie to others outside and say you are my master.”
When Chu Feng said this, his face showed a trace of guilt.
“Hahaha, Little Brother Chu, Elder Dao Qinian already said that even if I do not accept you as disciple, I can still enter the Northern Xuan Courtyard. Your elder brother is now an elder of the Northern Xuan Courtyard.”
“Whether you are my disciple or not, I can enter the Northern Xuan Courtyard.”
Duan Liufeng explained.
“Is that true?”
Chu Feng was somewhat surprised.
He had only just settled in at the Northern Xuan Courtyard before coming straight to Duan Liufeng’s residence.
He had not been present when the rewards were distributed to the outer courtyard elders.
So he did not know that Duan Liufeng had already become an elder of the Northern Xuan Courtyard.
“Absolutely true. When I received the reward just now, the Northern Xuan Courtyard elder personally told me.”
As Duan Liufeng spoke, he took out a token. It was precisely the elder token of the Northern Xuan Courtyard.
“That is wonderful.”
Upon learning this, Chu Feng felt not only happy but also gained a better impression of Dao Qinian.
After that, Chu Feng and Duan Liufeng returned to the Northern Xuan Courtyard together.
However, since the residences of elders and disciples were separate, after helping Duan Liufeng settle in, Chu Feng returned to his own residence.
But when he arrived, his residence was surrounded by a huge crowd. It was packed so tightly that not even water could flow through.
