"It's actually good that Wu Qing is gone. Even if Senior Sister Dongxue hadn't driven him off, I would have found a way. After all, this Martial Mark Realm opens only once every six years, and I don't want him delaying us."
"As for that girl Chun Wu, she's really too willful. But she chose her own path, she can't blame anyone else. Without our help, she's unlikely to achieve anything great on her own."
"When the Martial Mark Realm closes, she'll only be able to exchange for some inferior martial arts. She can just regret her choice then." The kind smile was long gone from Xia Yu's face now, her expression identical to Dongxue's, perhaps even more sinister.
"But this Martial Mark Realm is dangerously unpredictable, and Junior Brother Wu Qing has a grudge with Yafei. If they run into people from the Immortal Execution Archipelago, won't the two of them be...?" Qiu Zhu still sounded worried.
"I say, Senior Sister Qiu Zhu, you're just too kind-hearted, always thinking about others. But who thinks about you? Don't forget the cultivation world is a dog-eat-dog world. I'm afraid one day you'll be sold and not even know it," Dongxue said with some displeasure.
"Alright, alright, stop arguing over one Wu Qing. Even without Wu Qing dragging us down, we still need to hurry. Qiu Zhu, you don't want to get fewer Martial Marks than Yafei this time, do you?" Xia Yu asked Qiu Zhu.
"I..." Qiu Zhu didn't answer, but her expression gave Xia Yu the reply.
"Then stop spacing out and get moving." As Xia Yu spoke, she had already flown off into the distance, with Dongxue closely following behind.
Seeing this, Qiu Zhu bit her lip, hesitated for a moment, but ultimately chased after the two in the direction they had flown.
Meanwhile, Chu Feng and Chun Wu had descended from low altitude and landed on a barren hillock...
"Junior Brother Wu Qing, why did you land here? You won't find any Martial Marks on these mountain ranges." Looking at Chu Feng, who was staring at the barren hillock with a beaming smile, Chun Wu was very confused.
"Shh." Chu Feng gestured for Chun Wu to be quiet. Then, with a thought, he activated a sealing barrier, and began to set up an opening formation with extremely practiced hands.
At first, Chun Wu blinked her big eyes, filled with curiosity but growing more confused the more she watched, because she simply couldn't understand what Chu Feng was doing. If she hadn't already known him, seeing someone do this on a barren hillock, she would have thought the person was crazy.
However, after Chu Feng swiftly finished setting up the opening formation and then softly called out, "Open!"
With a "whoosh," a golden light burst out from the formation and finally "bang," collided with the sealing barrier.
"Oh my god, this, this, this is a Martial Mark! What's going on? Where did this Martial Mark come from?" At this moment, Chun Wu was stunned, as she had already recognized the object hitting the barrier as a Martial Mark.
But this area was sealed, so where had the Martial Mark come from? Thinking about it, Chun Wu's eyes suddenly lit up, and she looked at the smooth stone surface where Chu Feng had just set up the opening formation. Full of shock, she asked: "Junior Brother Wu Qing, you didn't... force this Martial Mark out from that stone, did you?"
"Senior Sister Chun Wu is truly clever. To tell you the truth, I can see things ordinary people cannot. This seemingly ordinary hillock is actually a dwelling place for Martial Marks. That's why I was flying low and constantly scanning the mountain ranges below."
Chu Feng smiled as he explained. At the same time, with a thought, the sealing barrier pushed the Martial Mark down in front of Chun Wu. He added, "Senior Sister Chun Wu, I already have a third Martial Mark. This one is for you."
"For me? Are you sure? But this..." Seeing Chu Feng actually wanted to give her the Martial Mark, Chun Wu was both surprised and delighted, but also felt a bit embarrassed.
"Senior Sister Chun Wu, I think if you had this ability, you would do the same as me. Now that we're traveling together, we should share fortune together and face hardships together."
Seeing Chu Feng insist, Chun Wu really couldn't refuse. She had no choice but to extend her delicate hand, crush the Martial Mark, and absorb it into her own arm.
Looking at the third Martial Mark that had appeared on her snow-white arm, Chun Wu's feelings were complex. But she could be certain that following Chu Feng was a very correct decision. She seemed to already see the full harvest she would bring back after the Martial Mark Realm ended, and the astonished expressions on her three senior sisters' faces.
In fact, Chu Feng truly did not disappoint Chun Wu. While everyone else was searching and fighting for Martial Marks in the air, only Chu Feng and Chun Wu searched on the mountain ranges. And the gains they made left Chun Wu overjoyed and ecstatic.
By the eighth day the Martial Mark Realm was open, her arm already had eighty Martial Marks. This kind of harvest was something she hadn't even dared to imagine before. Before entering, her best-case scenario estimate had only been fifty Martial Marks.
And the Martial Mark Realm wasn't over yet, but her gains had already far surpassed her expectations. Beyond her excitement and thrill, she felt even more admiration for Chu Feng. Because Chu Feng was truly special—so special he exceeded her imagination.
"Senior Sister Chun Wu, what are you thinking? This Martial Mark is yours." Chu Feng pointed at the Martial Mark he had just forced out, which was currently sealed within the barrier.
"Junior Brother Wu Qing, no need. Thanks to you these past days, I've been able to get so many Martial Marks. This is already more than enough for me."
"For the next Martial Marks, you don't need to share any with me. Keep them for yourself. That way, not only can you exchange for a Forbidden Martial Art, you might even have the chance to break the record set by that guy Murong Xun." Chun Wu advised.
"Heh..." However, at Chun Wu's words, Chu Feng just gave a slight smile and then said: "Breaking his record would be easy, but that's not what I want."
"The only thing I want to do now is share every single Martial Mark I obtain in this Martial Mark Realm with you, Senior Sister Chun Wu. We agreed to share fortune together and face hardships together. You've already done your part facing hardships; now it's my turn to share fortune."
"Junior Brother Chu Feng, you..." Hearing Chu Feng's words, Chun Wu's heart warmed, but at the same time felt a pang of emotion. Her beautiful eyes actually became a bit moist, shining with tears.
*Hum!* Just then, that Martial Mark was forced by Chu Feng in front of Chun Wu. Chu Feng smiled and said: "Senior Sister Chun Wu, the Forbidden Martial Art is indeed my goal. But my goal is for both of us to be able to exchange for a Forbidden Martial Art. You have to help me achieve that goal."
Looking at Chu Feng's brilliant smile and sincere gaze, Chun Wu simply couldn't find a reason to refuse. She had to wipe the tears from the corners of her eyes, then smiled sweetly with the corners of her mouth turned up, and nodded: "Mm."