Let me explain, it's not what you think.

"I... I just find it unbelievable that you're not the Ziyao I know anymore."

Jiang Yu blushed and spoke.

She had never seen Ziyao act so charmingly before; she wouldn't have dared to even imagine it in the past.

"This is the king's territory. You and I are both his possessions. What's so unbelievable about that? You'll have this day sooner or later too. When that day comes, I'll fix your ponytail for you!"

Jiang Yu: "..."

She couldn't understand what kind of magic Lu Chen possessed...

Outside the main hall.

At this moment, the pride of lions has also selected those who will challenge the sinking lion.

After all, Zi Yao's reputation precedes her, and the Lion Clan experts who come are not only those at the Golden Core and Nascent Soul stages, but also many at the Nascent Soul and Integration stages.

They finally couldn't stand watching the Golden Core stage lions anymore, and they all stepped in to persuade them. In the end, they chose a powerful Golden Core stage lion to challenge Lu Chen.

If we win, then we'll talk about other things.

Ultimately, the outside world decided to take on the challenge, but since this was Ziyao's territory, they still had to send someone in to invite her.

The palace door was pushed open, and an old lion stood at the entrance, its mane white and its body somewhat hunched.

It did not come in, but stood outside the threshold, bowing its head slightly in a respectful manner: "Lady Ziyao, the candidate has been chosen."

Zi Yao didn't look at it, but instead straightened Lu Chen's collar.

"Okay, go and wait outside."

"Yes."

The old man nodded and walked towards the palace gate.

Upon seeing this, Lu Chen got up and prepared to meet the enemy.

"Husband, are you...are you really okay? If it's really not okay, I can buy you some more time!" Ziyao was still a little worried.

"Actually, I'm quite strong too. Don't underestimate me, or I'll make sure you can't get out of bed!"

Zi Yao blushed deeply in front of Jiang Yu.

"I understand, I believe my husband."

"Okay, I'll be right back."

"Wait, wait!"

Jiang Yu walked gracefully from behind.

She forcefully suppressed the blush on her face, making herself appear indifferent to joy or sorrow.

But Lu Chen could sense that she was a little nervous.

"This... is for you!"

As she spoke, she took out a jade slip and handed it to Lu Chen.

Lu Chen took the jade slip and probed it with his divine sense. Inside was a complete set of combat techniques.

Footwork, body movement, and power generation techniques are clearly explained from the basics to the essentials.

"Golden Lion Fight" is the fighting technique of the Crimson Heart Jade Lion clan. Because they are backed by Buddhism and have been modified by Buddhism, humans can also practice it.

Throughout history, only core members or Buddhist disciples have been qualified to practice it.

"Why are you giving it to me?" Lu Chen looked at her.

Jiang Yu did not answer.

Her gaze fell on the jade slip in his hand, and she looked at it for a long time.

She recalled the crimson and greedy eyes of the lions from last night, and she didn't want Lu Chen to lose either.

After all, those lions won't end up like Lu Chen.

Because Lu Chen is a gentleman, but if it were someone else... he might not be.

"Because...because you're a good person!"

After saying that, she left as if fleeing.

Seeing this, Lu Chen touched his nose.

He hadn't expected to get friend-zoned, but it didn't matter. The important thing was Jiang Yu; she was smart! After spending so many days together, she had been avoiding him like the plague—that was a good thing!

Zi Yao stood beside him, her bare feet on the amethyst steps.

"Husband, quickly learn this secret manual! Although you haven't practiced it before, this jade slip Jiangyu gave you contains the power of inheritance, allowing you to learn it instantly!"

"Um."

Upon hearing this, Lu Chen immersed his consciousness into the jade slip, and in almost an instant, he had already learned the "Golden Lion Fight".

Finally, Lu Chen walked out of the palace gate, sunlight falling on him.

Outside the hall, the dark lions had retreated to the surrounding area, making way for a circular space.

In the center of the arena stood a young male lion, humanoid in shape, not very tall but extremely strong, with the muscles of his shoulders and back stretching his clothes taut.

Its amber vertical pupils stared at the direction of the palace gate, its gaze filled with undisguised contempt.

With five elements spiritual roots and the eighth level of the Golden Core stage, I really don't know what Lady Ziyao and Lady Jiangyu saw in him!

Lu Chen walked down the steps and stood opposite it.

"You're one of the human race?"

"Um."

"Let me make this clear first: although my Lion Clan's battles don't take lives, fists and feet are still unpredictable. If you're scared, it's not too late to admit defeat now."

Lu Chen didn't speak, but instead raised his hand and assumed a starting stance.

"What audacity!"

The young male lion roared, and the next second, its figure vanished from the spot.

Lu Chen turned to the side, and a gust of wind swept past his ear, severing a few strands of hair that drifted into the air.

He swung his palm out with a backhand strike, his palm imbued with spiritual energy, and it struck the young lion squarely on the shoulder.

The lion didn't move an inch, but instead used the force to spin around and sweep its paw across.

Lu Chen took two steps back to avoid the claws, pushed off the ground with his right leg, and launched himself forward, punching the lion in the chest.

The lion took a step back, looked down at the spot on its chest where it had been struck by a fist, then looked up at Lu Chen, its contempt deepening.

"this one?"

Lu Chen ignored him and continued to throw punches, each one imbued with powerful spiritual energy.

The lion neither dodged nor avoided, enduring more than a dozen punches without moving an inch, as if it were enjoying the experience.

"Finished? Then it's my turn!"

After saying that, its speed suddenly increased, becoming so fast that only a blur remained.

Lu Chen's chest was swept by sharp claws, his clothes were torn in three places, and three shallow white marks were left on his skin.

He raised his arm to block, but another claw landed on his forearm, making his entire arm go numb.

He quickly stepped back to create some distance and shook his arms.

"Boy, your spiritual energy is plentiful, and your movement technique isn't bad either. But your fists are as soft as cotton; they don't hurt at all when they hit me. If I'm not mistaken, you must be from a small human town. Your combat skills are really terrible!"

Lu Chen clenched his fist.

It is true that with the support of Zi Yao and Su Ningxin's Yin energy, his spiritual power is as strong as his opponent's, but he has no effective means of attack.

The power derived from the primordial yin can only be used to strengthen his foundation.

He took a deep breath and changed his stance.

The power generation method of "Golden Lion Fight" circulates within the body, and spiritual energy surges from the dantian, flowing along the meridians into the arms.

In an instant, his arms became thick and strong, his muscles bulged, and golden lines faintly appeared on his skin.

He tried to throw punches in the air, each punch carrying an overwhelming force, the space itself distorted as the wind from his punches whistled.

The young lion's eyes flickered, finally showing a hint of interest.

"What is this?"

Lu Chen did not answer. He pushed off the ground with his feet and shot towards his opponent like an arrow.

His right hand formed a claw, and the golden lines on his arm flowed as he reached for the lion's throat.

This strike was many times faster and more powerful than before, with spiritual energy condensing into a visible golden streak at the fingertips.

Finally, the young male lion dodged to the side, the locals telling it that it couldn't take the hit head-on!

"Kid, your martial arts skills are not bad this time, but... you seem to be completely unskilled; your attacks are too slow!"

As it spoke, it used one finger to press against Lu Chen's wrist and gently pushed his entire arm away.