Simultaneous travel: I am rampant in the domestic area

Wu Zhu is back!?

Russell's heart skipped a beat: "Where?"

“He will come to see you later,” Fan Xian said.

“Okay,” Russell replied.

Haitang Duoduo and Si Lili didn't care what riddles Fan Xian and Luo Su were playing. When best friends meet, they always have endless things to talk about, especially since Si Lili still had lingering concerns about Northern Qi.

Fan Xian didn't stay with Russell for long. He had other things to do afterward. Now he had to go to the Royal Villa. Just as he hadn't seen Russell in a long time, he hadn't seen his fiancée in a long time either.

After reminding him to be on time for the banquet at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests the next day, he left the courtyard and rode away.

"Alright, I have to go too." Half an hour later, Haitang Duoduo also prepared to leave.

After all, in terms of status, she was the Holy Maiden of Northern Qi, while Si Lili was a captured spy from Northern Qi.

The fact that the two of them could meet so openly was largely due to Fan Xian's strong connections.

However, this meeting was limited to this one. If they met again, it would either be because Si Lili returned to Northern Qi, or because Northern Qi had captured the capital of Southern Qing.

"There's something I need to tell you," Haitang Duoduo said solemnly as she turned to Si Lili at the doorway, "You absolutely mustn't get pregnant, at least not now."

"Get lost." Si Lili didn't say anything, but Russell raised his foot and kicked her. Haitang Duoduo dodged it by twisting her butt. Still not quite reassured, she said a few more words before leaving with her hands behind her back, completely lacking any saintly demeanor.

After she left, Si Lili glanced at Russell, coughed softly, and went back into the house.

In fact, Si Lili is still a virgin to this day.

At first, Russell wasn't very familiar with her, but after she was effectively placed under house arrest here, they became somewhat more familiar. However, Russell began his attempt to become a Grandmaster, so he didn't pay much attention to her.

But it doesn't matter. He calculated that in a few days, his mental state would be at its limit. If it didn't work, he would get a good night's sleep, recharge his energy, and then have a proper exchange of skills with this courtesan.

In the afternoon, the room was quiet and peaceful.

On the brocade couch, Si Lili knelt, while Russell's head rested comfortably on her soft thighs.

Her slender fingers were pressing his temples with just the right amount of pressure, her fingertips feeling slightly cool.

Si Lili looked at his tightly closed eyes and the black silk covering them, and suddenly spoke softly, breaking the silence: "Why did Emperor Qing suddenly issue an edict to have you attend the banquet at the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests?"

Russell shrugged, saying nonchalantly, "How would I know what His Majesty is thinking, with his thoughts so complex and convoluted?"

A hint of worry flashed in Si Lili's beautiful eyes, and she asked again, "There shouldn't be any danger on this trip, right?"

Russell shook his head: "Probably not. In the Hall of Prayer for Good Harvests, in front of everyone, as long as the Grandmaster doesn't make a move and doesn't use the Tiger Guard formation, no one can stop me. Besides, aren't there Haitang and Fan Xian?"

Hearing him say that, Si Lili nodded slightly, feeling somewhat relieved. She said no more and continued to focus on massaging him.

Later that evening, after a simple dinner, Si Lili was about to turn off the lights and rest when she saw Russell, who had been meditating, suddenly stand up.

"What's wrong?" Si Lili asked.

"I have to go out for a bit. You go to sleep first, don't wait for me." Russell said succinctly, without offering any further explanation.

Si Lili was already used to his way of doing things, so she didn't ask any questions, obediently blew out the candles, and lay down to sleep.

Russell pushed open the door, walked into the courtyard, and looked up at the roof.

There, unnoticed, a black figure stood silently in the moonlight, like an ancient rock, cold and still, devoid of any sign of life.

Without a word, the moment Wu Zhu saw Russell emerge, he turned around without hesitation, his figure like a black streak of light, rushing towards the outskirts of Beijing at an absurdly fast speed.

Russell took a deep breath, instantly unleashing the Dragon Step to its fullest potential. His inner energy surged, and he leaped up, giving chase.

Unlike his previous pursuit of Hong Sixiang, Wu Zhu's speed has completely surpassed the realm of ordinary people's understanding.

Russell pushed his movement technique to its peak, but he could only barely see a blurry black dot flashing in front of him, and the distance was still increasing.

If it weren't for Wu Zhu seemingly intentionally leading the way, pausing occasionally to wait, Russell probably wouldn't even have been able to inhale the car exhaust.

Two figures, one after the other, like two shooting stars streaking across the night sky, quickly left the bustling capital and ventured deep into a dense and secluded forest on the outskirts of the city.

Wu Zhu's figure suddenly stopped, and then he slowly turned around to look at Russell, who had arrived a little later and was breathing slightly short of breath.

"I heard from Fan Xian that you were looking for me." Wu Zhu's voice was flat and emotionless.

Yes, he is a robot devoid of emotions.

Russell adjusted his breathing and nodded: "I have long heard of the Five Lords' reputation and have come to ask for your guidance."

Wu Zhu didn't waste any more words. He slightly raised the seemingly ordinary iron rod in his hand, aimed it at Russell, and said only one word: "Come."

Having said all that, what else can Russell say?

He picked up the iron rod and charged forward recklessly.

Knowing that Wu Zhu was a robot, Russell naturally wouldn't use his true energy. Instead, he pushed his physical abilities to the limit and, in conjunction with the Tian Ce Mansion's ultimate technique, the Thunder Spear Technique, confronted Wu Zhu head-on.

In an instant, the iron rod transformed into afterimages, like a dragon emerging from the sea, or like thunderbolts crashing down.

With techniques like collapsing, pointing, piercing, chopping, circling, picking, and deflecting, he displayed the ferocity and ruthlessness of battlefield spear techniques to the fullest extent, further incorporating the mysteries of neutralizing force. Each strike contained terrifying power capable of splitting mountains and shattering rocks, along with exquisite variations.

Logically speaking, given Russell's current offensive, few martial artists of the ninth rank would be able to withstand it easily.

However, in front of Wu Zhu, all of this seemed to be a slow-motion replay.

Russell now understands how desperate Ke Jie felt when facing AlphaGo.

He is now in despair; the human brain's analytical and computational abilities are being thoroughly outmatched by AI.

As soon as Russell made a move, Wu Zhu instantly analyzed its trajectory, force, and subsequent changes.

The iron rod can always find the simplest and most precise angle to block in advance and then counterattack.

Just like the Dugu Nine Swords, Russell was getting more and more uncomfortable the more he fought.

But at that moment, Wu Zhu suddenly retracted his chisel and stopped, calmly asking, "Do you want to defeat me?"

Russell also stopped his attack, shook his head, and said with a slight unevenness in his breathing, "I'm not stupid. I just want to see if I can comprehend a method to break through to the Grandmaster level, just like Ye Liuyun did."

Wu Zhu paused for a moment, seemingly processing the information, and then said, "In that case, you should use your true energy, instead of just relying on your physical strength to fight like you did just now."

"what……"

A word can wake a dreamer up.

Russell chuckled to himself, realizing he had gotten himself into a rut.

He kept thinking that Wu Zhu could absorb true energy, so he gave up the strongest method, but forgot that breaking through the realm requires pushing one's essence, energy, spirit, and all one's power to the limit.

"Understood." Russell took a deep breath, and the next moment, his aura suddenly surged. His iron-blooded fighting spirit erupted, and his scorching, boiling true energy, like a giant dragon awakening, burst forth from his body and swirled around him.

However, ever since he used his true energy, Russell felt that the difficulty of the battle had gone from difficult to hell.

The true energy was absorbed before it even touched Wu Zhu. What was even more desperate was that he couldn't breathe. Every time he tried to breathe, Wu Zhu's iron rod would arrive.

Then it was a one-sided beating. His moves were broken, his energy was absorbed, and his opponent didn't get tired. Russell seemed calm, but in reality, he had run out of moves.

As the fight continued, Wu Zhu's voice rang out again, still completely calm: "I don't know how Ye Liuyun broke through back then, nor do I know how to help you break through. The only thing I'm good at is killing."

"People say that between life and death, there is great terror as well as great opportunity. If you are willing, I will no longer hold back, but I will do my best to save your life."

Without any hesitation, Russell said in a deep voice, "Come!"

He wasn't actually that afraid of death, since even if he died, he could be reborn in the World Tree.

As soon as he finished speaking, Wu Zhu's aura suddenly changed. If he was just passively defending and making precise counterattacks, he had now transformed into a true killing machine.

The sound of the iron rod cutting through the air became sharp and piercing, and its speed and power suddenly increased to a terrifying level.

Every strike was aimed directly at Russell's vital points, ruthless, decisive, and efficient, without the slightest unnecessary movement.

Holy crap! Is it really that hard to handle? The pressure is so great I can't even play anymore!

Wu Zhu's iron rod is like a ghost; you never know which direction it will emerge from.

Russell's mind was compressed to an unprecedented limit, and his perception had never been so clear.

The whole world seemed to consist only of that deadly iron rod and his own wildly beating heart.

finally--

"Pfft!"

A soft sound of a sharp object piercing flesh rang out.

Wu Zhu's iron rod was ultimately a step too fast, piercing Russell's left chest with a cold edge, just a hair's breadth from his heart.

Intense pain and the shadow of death instantly poured over my entire body like ice water.

In that life-or-death moment, Russell's extremely tense mind seemed to hear a faint "crack" sound, as if some invisible barrier had suddenly shattered.

His consciousness was suddenly pulled into a strange perspective, as if he had been lifted into the air in an instant, soaring into the sky with a whoosh, and in a daze, he communicated with an indescribable great being.

Outside, Wu Zhu skillfully pulled back the iron rod, leaving a trail of blood droplets.

He watched silently as Russell fell unconscious and lay stiffly backward. He stepped forward, steadied him, and then hoisted him onto his shoulder as if carrying an object.

With a flash, he disappeared into the dense forest.

In the courtyard of the Fan family residence, Fan Xian sat cross-legged, trying his best to control the domineering true energy within his body that was still occasionally agitated.

Suddenly, he sensed something and opened his eyes abruptly, just in time to see Uncle Wuzhu carrying a figure that looked like it had already collapsed onto the ground in the courtyard.

"Uncle, this..." Fan Xian jumped up in shock, and when he saw that the man was Russell, he was even more shocked: "Uncle, you killed him?"

Wu Zhu handed the unconscious Russell to Fan Xian and said to him, "He's not dead. He's almost done."

"It's done?" Fan Xian was taken aback at first, then his pupils suddenly contracted: "Is it the kind I understand?"

"Yes," Wu Zhu replied succinctly.

"Holy crap!?" Fan Xian was surprised, but he couldn't help but grin.

If we include Wu Zhu, wouldn't he have two Grandmasters by his side?

Why bother with such a shallow political intrigue? Just go for it!

"When will he wake up?" Fan Xian asked.

“His physique is extraordinary; he should be able to get up by tomorrow morning at the latest,” Wu Zhu said.

"Will it work once you wake up?" Fan Xian pressed.

"It will probably take some more time, no more than three months," Wu Zhu replied.

"Beast." Fan Xian cursed under his breath. He had intended to simply treat Russell's wounds, but when he pulled aside his clothes, he found that both his chest and back were covered with scabs.

Fan Xian: "..."

What else could he say besides deducting 6?

Damn it, it's one thing for Uncle Wuzhu to be abnormal, but this guy is abnormal too.

This is a penetrating wound!

After throwing Russell back into his old room, Fan Xian didn't bother with him anymore.

Wu Zhu was discussing with him how to enter Taiping Villa.

At that moment, Russell felt his brain was buzzing.

It's as if his soul has left his body, and he's trying to reunite his soul with his body.

With each step forward in this integration, the control over one's own body becomes more refined.

From this perspective, it is no longer the perception of the outside world through the mind's eye, but a clear and thorough view of the inside of one's own body.

Only then did he realize how ridiculous his previous feelings had been.

He clearly believed that there was still so much power in his body that could be tapped, yet he thought he had reached the limit of progress.

As time passed, the fusion of soul and body came to an end. Amidst a tremendous flow, Russell felt a mellow and vast energy pouring down from the sky, nourishing his body and soul.

Every minute structure of the bones, the slow peristalsis of the internal organs, the flow of blood and qi under the skin, the ceaseless surge of true qi in the meridians... all of this happened right before his eyes.

After an unknown amount of time, Russell finally woke up and took a moment to reflect. By then, it was already bright outside.

call!
Russell stood up, his bones crackling and popping. The gusts of wind generated by the shattering bones sent the decorations flying everywhere, and the paper windows were suddenly torn apart.

He flexed and extended his fingers, tearing the air apart like steel knives, and his hands couldn't help but itch.

Hearing the commotion, Fan Ruoruo rushed over and was shocked to see the mess in the room. Although she had heard Fan Xian say that Russell's power would increase greatly after he woke up, seeing it with her own eyes and hearing about it were two completely different things.

"Brother Luo has become a Grandmaster?" Fan Ruoruo asked curiously.

"Still a little short, but soon." Russell shook his head, but the smile on his face could no longer be hidden. (End of Chapter)