C14 Skill and Magazine!

"Come on, big brother, don't do this! I'm a straight guy through and through, with zero interest in other men!"

Mo Fanchen couldn't help but laugh and cry as he watched Feng Qingliu stripping down in the cell. He quickly covered his eyes to avoid being overwhelmed by the sight.

Feng Qingliu, silent as ever, continued to undress, revealing his muscular torso before turning his back to Mo Fanchen.

As Mo Fanchen wondered about Feng Qingliu's actions, something incredible happened! Bright red characters began to emerge one by one on Feng Qingliu's back, as if they were infused with life.

"Pay attention, kid! This is the Shadow Waltz skill from our Windreavers. I can only sustain it with the last of my genuine energy for a short while, so hurry and copy it down!" Feng Qingliu urged Mo Fanchen, his voice strained. The slight tremble of his body showed how much effort it took to manifest the characters.

Mo Fanchen, excited, rubbed his hands together. He pulled out his smartphone and exclaimed, "Why bother copying by hand? The camera on my new phone is top-notch! It'll capture your glory perfectly! Let's see how well it does with your image!"

Before Feng Qingliu could object, Mo Fanchen quickly pressed the camera button, capturing the skill-laden image of Feng Qingliu's back.

"There, you've got the skill. Now, how about that magazine?" Feng Qingliu, now clothed, asked Mo Fanchen, breathing heavily.

Mo Fanchen, ignoring Feng Qingliu, admired his phone like a prized possession, his face breaking into a sly grin.

Pretending to struggle with reception, Mo Fanchen cupped a hand to his ear and shouted back at Feng Qingliu, "What's that? I can't hear you over the bad signal here!"

Feng Qingliu, no fool, realized that Mo Fanchen, the shameless rogue, was planning to go back on his word.

"Mo Fanchen, you cur! How dare you trick me! You'll not meet a good end for this!"

Enraged, Feng Qingliu bellowed at Mo Fanchen, his fists raining down like a storm on the glass window.

However, Feng Qingliu's efforts were in vain.

Each solitary cell in Scourgehold had walls of exceptional hardness, reinforced with a special technique that could absorb genuine energy. Without this energy, breaking through the glass window was nearly impossible for Feng Qingliu!

Moreover, as a facility designed to detain warriors, if inmates could easily break out, Scourgehold might as well shut down.

Mo Fanchen's decision to renege on his promise came after he saw the hidden skill on Feng Qingliu's back.

Being a beginner in the warrior world, Mo Fanchen had never before encountered such a method of concealing a skill.

Could there be unknown secrets within that seemingly innocuous magazine?

If Feng Qingliu were to escape because of his carelessness, Mo Fanchen knew he couldn't handle the fallout.

Furthermore, given Feng Qingliu's previous murderous intent and his attempt to harm Mo Fanchen's goddess, Mo Fanchen felt entirely justified in tricking him.

So, for the sake of security, Mo Fanchen chose to shamelessly go back on his word.

He firmly shut the cell door, leaving Feng Qingliu's bitter curses behind it, and eagerly returned to his room to delve into the Shadow Waltz skill he had just acquired.

The Shadow Waltz was, as Feng Qingliu had described, a Lightness Skill. It focused on using deft movements to evade attacks and increase one's speed, not the wall-scaling or air-walking Mo Fanchen had imagined.

But for Mo Fanchen, having a skill to practice was a boon, especially one that could be life-saving in a pinch. Why worry about the details?

"The Windreavers' skill focuses on wielding the wind to strike..."

Mo Fanchen practiced the skill until he was spent and drifted off to sleep.

He didn't know how long he had slept when a faint shaking of the wall startled him awake.

"An earthquake?!"

That was the first thought that sprang to Mo Fanchen's mind as he opened his eyes.

Given that Scourgehold was deeply buried underground, the likelihood of an earthquake occurring there was significantly higher than on the surface!

Upon realizing the potential danger, Mo Fanchen didn't waste a moment. He leapt out of bed and crouched in the triangular safety zone of the corner, holding his breath and waiting for the earthquake to subside.

Time dragged on, yet the shaking walls showed no sign of stopping. If anything, the tremors seemed to be intensifying!

Pressed against the wall, Mo Fanchen tuned into his surroundings with a growing suspicion. It was then that he noticed something off about the earthquake.

Accompanying the wall's faint vibrations, a barely audible shouting noise gradually reached Mo Fanchen's ears!

Could it be that something went awry during yesterday's patrol, allowing Feng Qingliu and the other imprisoned warriors to escape?

Driven by urgency, Mo Fanchen didn't consider whether he could take on Feng Qingliu; he followed the sounds and dashed to the second floor!

The vibrations grew stronger as he ascended. In the center of the second floor was a large training room, from which the shouting was emanating through slightly ajar doors.

What in the world was happening?

Mo Fanchen cautiously pushed the door open and peered inside. Two men, bare-chested, were engaged in a fierce sparring match, their movements as dazzling as those in a martial arts film!

Every now and then, explosive punches hit the room's protective barrier, causing visible ripples, which were the source of the wall's tremors.

Noticing an intruder, the two men ceased their combat.

Wu Chang, sporting a beard, shook his head in displeasure and addressed Mo Fanchen, "Mo, there's an old saying, 'The plan of a day lies in the morning.' It's not to be taken lightly! Every morning is when nature awakens, when all creatures are most vibrant, and when we warriors experience the smoothest circulation of genuine energy! You're wasting the most precious time of day sleeping instead of training. Don't you think that's a huge waste?"

Feeling a mix of embarrassment and gratitude for Wu Chang's mentorship, Mo Fanchen explained, "Haha, I trained a bit too long last night and ended up sleeping in a little. I'll make sure to be more attentive next time!"

"Hey, you know what they say: 'Morning for the body, evening for the breath!' That's essential knowledge for a warrior, Mo. Surely you're aware of that?" Wu Sheng joked from the side, chuckling. He then added, "Of course, warriors who practice special skills will adjust their training times and environments to suit their skill."

Upon seeing Mo Fanchen's look of comprehension, Wu Sheng didn't elaborate further. He gestured to Wu Chang and called out, "We haven't finished our last match. Let's get back to it! Mo, if you want to be a competent warrior, you need to learn from real combat experience. Make sure you pay close attention!"

As Wu Sheng spoke, a thin layer of gas began to envelop his body.

Mo Fanchen's puzzled look didn't go unnoticed, and without waiting for him to inquire, Wu Chang began to explain, "This is astral aura! It's a sign that a warrior in the Inner Strength Realm is close to breaking through to the Outer Aura Realm. Warriors condense the genuine energy within their bodies and attach it to their skin for defense or attack, which is why it's also referred to as the manifestation of aura. The extent to which the astral aura is released also indicates the warrior's level of strength."

"Furthermore," Wu Chang continued, "warriors in the Three Flowers Gathered Atop, Convergence of Five Energies, and Nature and Man in One realms also use astral aura in ways known as the manifestation of shadow, manifestation of substance, and manifestation of void. You'll undoubtedly come to understand why they're named as such in due time."

While explaining, Wu Chang also formed a layer of astral aura around himself, which was noticeably denser than Wu Sheng's.

Based on Wu Chang's earlier explanation, it was clear that his strength far surpassed Wu Sheng's, suggesting that Wu Chang had a greater chance of winning their sparring match.

Mo Fanchen watched intently from the sidelines, pondering this. But when the Wu brothers actually began to spar, he quickly realized that they were equally matched.

Wu Chang had just stabilized his astral aura when Wu Sheng launched the first strike, a piercing straight punch aimed at Wu Chang's face!

Wu Chang responded in kind, waiting until Wu Sheng's fist was just half a meter away before deftly raising an arm to deflect the punch. Simultaneously, his other hand transformed from a fist to a palm and struck Wu Sheng's chest with lightning speed!

"Wu Chang has won already?"

Mo Fanchen, spectating from the side, held his breath in anticipation of Wu Sheng being launched into the air by a single blow.

In the arena, Wu Chang's face didn't betray any ease, while Wu Sheng sported a sly grin, as if his strategy had just paid off.

The palm strike Wu Chang aimed at Wu Sheng was unexpectedly deflected by Wu Sheng's timely raised left leg!

The Wu brothers were nearly equal in strength. Even though Wu Sheng's genuine energy was more robust, he had held back some power in his palm strike, saving it for a subsequent move.

Wu Sheng, well-acquainted with Wu Chang's fighting style, had long since deciphered his brother's cautious nature, allowing him to effortlessly neutralize Wu Chang's palm force with just his leg.

"This isn't a technique from the Entangling Eight Claws that Wu Sheng has been practicing! He's tapping into his innate combat instincts in our battle! This kid's fighting sense is extraordinarily sharp!" Wu Chang thought gravely as he quickly dodged backward.

Wu Chang was aware that if Wu Sheng managed to close the gap even slightly, he would be endlessly vexed by the relentless follow-up attacks of the Entangling Eight Claws.