Chapter 105: Turning Defeat into Victory

The hood was pulled away, exposing Lu Zhe’s true face to the public. Initially, Lu Zhe intended to cover it with his hand, but he reconsidered—there was nothing shameful about his appearance. He ceased the unnecessary movement and stood tall, composed, and upright.

However, the onlookers thought otherwise. As the group of men in white caught sight of his true face, gasps erupted. They stared at Lu Zhe, dumbstruck; their mouths hung open like gourds, and their eyes widened until they were as large as copper bells.

Lei Hu, standing not far before him, was momentarily speechless. Unlike the others, his mouth did not hang agape; instead, he scrutinized Lu Zhe with a gaze of utter disbelief.

Lu Zhe scratched his head, his brows furrowing slightly, a faint smirk playing on his lips—he appeared entirely indifferent to his true face being revealed.

Lei Hu’s mind, however, was in turmoil. Cultivating spiritual energy naturally extended one’s lifespan; reaching a peak level could even grant eternal youth. Yet, this was all contingent upon the cultivator reaching the specific rank required to maintain such an appearance. The degree of rejuvenation was intrinsically linked to one’s rank. For someone like Lei Hu, who appeared to be a man in his forties, the truth was that he had already reached the Spirit Emperor rank. Regardless of his actual strength, he could maintain the appearance of a man in his forties—but that was his limit. To appear any younger, he would have to ascend to the next rank. In other words, the higher a cultivator’s rank, the more youthful their appearance. Naturally, there were exceptions—those who maintained themselves well or consumed rare elixirs—but they were few and far between. Elixirs that altered one’s physical appearance were so rare they were practically non-existent. So, what was the reason for the fifteen or sixteen-year-old youth standing before him? To maintain the appearance of someone under twenty, one had to be a Spirit Venerable or higher. That rank felt impossibly distant to Lei Hu, like the horizon—visible but unreachable.

"Could he be a Spirit Venerable?"

At this thought, even Lei Hu, tempered by countless battles, felt a shiver run down his spine.

Spirit Venerable—a title standing at the very pinnacle of the continent’s cultivation pyramid, a status for which countless people yearned. Throughout history, how many had risked their lives to reach this rank? And yet, how many had succeeded? They were few and far between. Nearly ninety percent of cultivators were blocked by that insurmountable barrier, left only to sigh at the unreachable title.

"Are… are you a Spirit Venerable?" Lei Hu’s voice trembled slightly; the title was simply too intimidating for him.

The question stunned the surrounding crowd. Upon hearing Lei Hu’s trembling words, the onlookers were filled with shock and clamor, but mostly with fear. A Spirit Venerable was capable of easily razing an entire nation to the ground. Even if that nation possessed many powerful experts, as long as none exceeded the rank of Spirit Venerable, they would be helpless—only waiting for death. And that was to say nothing of the onlookers themselves.

Hearing Lei Hu’s question, Lu Zhe smoothed his hair and picked at his ear. He looked at Lei Hu, his eyes dark as the night, radiating a cold light that made others shudder. After a moment, Lu Zhe let out a cold laugh. "What do you think?"

Without hesitation, he stomped his right foot, his body launching into the air like lightning, lunging toward Lei Hu.

"What?" Caught off guard by Lu Zhe’s lightning-fast approach, Lei Hu was stunned. Before he could react, Lu Zhe was already upon him.

Lei Hu, still reeling from his previous realization, had not fully recovered his senses, yet his body reacted by instinct, throwing a punch at Lu Zhe.

Arriving before Lei Hu, Lu Zhe saw the incoming fist and a cold sneer flashed across his lips. He tilted his body, dodging the blow, then grabbed Lei Hu’s fist with a swift motion. He followed up with a heavy kick to Lei Hu’s abdomen.

"Urgh!" Taking the heavy blow, Lei Hu let out a muffled grunt. His body should have been sent flying, but his right arm was held firmly in Lu Zhe’s grip. Unable to retreat, he could only stumble back a few steps.

Lu Zhe did not cease his assault. Taking advantage of Lei Hu’s lack of focus, he quickly channeled his spiritual energy into his left arm, coating his fist, and unleashed a barrage of blows toward Lei Hu’s face.

The punches rained down like a storm, each one striking Lei Hu’s face, leaving him completely unable to retaliate.

*Smack.*

Lu Zhe’s fist was suddenly caught by Lei Hu.

The sudden change startled Lu Zhe. He looked at Lei Hu, whose face was covered in blood, and saw the man glare at him viciously. "Have you had enough?"

Lei Hu grabbed Lu Zhe’s other fist with his left hand, twisted his body, and swung his elbow toward Lu Zhe’s head.

*Bang.*

The elbow struck Lu Zhe’s right temple with immense force. A dull ringing sound erupted in Lu Zhe’s mind, and for a moment, it felt as though the entire world—and even time itself—had come to a halt.

A moment later, Lu Zhe shook off the haze. Following the ringing, a sharp, splitting pain surged through his temple. Gritting his teeth to suppress the agony, he glared at Lei Hu and slammed his head directly into the other man’s.

*Bang.*

Another muffled thud echoed between them. Their heads were pressed so tightly together that they could hear each other’s breathing.

Both men glared at each other with wide, furious eyes. A moment later, Lei Hu let out a cry, released his grip on Lu Zhe’s arms, and began to stagger backward as if intoxicated.

Looking closely at Lei Hu, a red mark was visible at the crown of his head—surely the result of Lu Zhe’s headbutt.

Lei Hu stumbled backward, swaying like an elderly man suffering from a stroke, looking so unstable that one felt tempted to reach out and steady him.

With his arms finally free, Lu Zhe clutched his own head, gasping for air. His upper body spasmed, and his left hand clenched and unclenched—he was clearly in immense pain. The collision had taken a heavy toll on him as well.

Seeing Lei Hu staggering and unable to hold his ground, Lu Zhe knew the man had been dazed by the impact. Seizing the opportunity, Lu Zhe took a deep breath, stepped forward, and leaped when he was two paces away, raising his right leg to slam it down onto Lei Hu’s head with all his might.

*Boom.*

The power of the kick was immense. After taking the full force of the blow, Lei Hu collapsed face-first, his head crashing into the gravel on the ground. The residual force even spider-webbed the stone floor.

"Ah..." After felling Lei Hu, Lu Zhe kept his right foot pressed against the man’s head. He clenched his teeth and fists so tightly that blood trickled down his arms, dripping onto the scorching ground with a sizzling sound.

Lu Zhe’s clothes were rags, and he looked battered; there was hardly an inch of skin on him that wasn't bloodied. Yet, with his foot still pinning Lei Hu, he stood like an unyielding warrior.

The cavern itself was in ruins, with debris falling constantly, a testament to the intensity of their battle.

*Whoosh.*

A faint sound of air being displaced came from Lu Zhe’s left. His eyes widened, and he turned his head with all his might, catching a glimpse of something rushing toward him through the air.

It was a person...