"Quiet!"

Feng Zikang had barely called out when Elder Yun immediately stopped him, hastily pulling one hand free and holding a finger to his lips.

"Shh! Can't you see I'm in a match!"

Elder Yun looked tense, his gaze locked onto what was ahead, giving him no thought to turn around and look at the younger man.

Feng Zikang followed Elder Yun's line of sight and indeed saw his opponent.

A... toad.

This toad was entirely red, with faint golden spots protruding from its back—it was no ordinary creature, known as the Crimson Gold Toad, a medicinal ingredient for refining elixirs.

However... no matter how mystical, it was still just a toad. At this moment, it was crouched on the ground, its belly swollen, emitting a low croaking sound from its mouth.

"I wonder what Elder Yun is competing in..."

"Didn't I tell you to stop making noise!"

Elder Yun erupted in anger, turning to glare at him, his beard bristling as he scolded.

"It took me ages to finally find an opponent today. If I scare it off, what am I to do?"

Fortunately, the toad remained composed and serene. Despite their loud voices, it showed no sign of panic, still lazily basking in the sun, which finally eased Elder Yun's anxiety.

"Opponent?"

Feng Zikang looked at the Crimson Gold Toad with interest. It was merely a common spirit creature, showing no particular anomaly. Even he could capture this toad with a casual sweep of his hand.

"Could it be that Uncle-Master is competing with it in high jump?"

Elder Yun's posture suggested to Feng Zikang that such a wild guess might be appropriate.

"Nonsense!"

Elder Yun shook his head smugly. "If I wanted to compete in high jump, wouldn't I find a flea to compete with? Why bother with a toad? Youngster, you clearly don't understand this! I am contending with it over presence!"

"Presence?"

Feng Zikang was stunned again. He looked closely at the seemingly weak toad but still couldn't discern anything extraordinary.

Elder Yun became even more pleased. He chuckled and began to explain to Feng Zikang.

"Look at this tiny Crimson Gold Toad. When it crouches, its head is raised, eyes surveying its surroundings—the entire situation is within its view. Its hind legs are drawn in, while its front claws grip the ground like a tiger's. Its essence, spirit, and vigor are condensed into a single point. Against any opponent, it can spring up at any moment, striking with fatal accuracy. Looking at this posture, from top to bottom, it is not only flawless but actively poised for action. If it remains still, so be it; but the moment it moves, it will surely be earth-shattering!"

"I, this old man, have pondered for months and couldn't figure out a stance that could condense 'presence' better than this posture! I had no choice but to imitate Brother Toad and adopt this form. Now that I've finally encountered it again today, I must test my limits against it, to see what weaknesses remain in my adopted stance!"

"This..."

Feng Zikang was momentarily speechless. Ye Tiansheng had mentioned that Uncle-Master Yun Yi of the Merit Hall was obsessed with cultivation, but he never imagined the obsession would reach this level.

Setting aside whether the toad's presence was truly as perfect as he described, even if he learned this stance from the toad, was he going to fight people while holding that posture?

Even if others didn't laugh, the military strategists of Dragon Tiger Mountain would never allow him to bring such shame upon them...

"Uncle-Master Yun, I am Feng Zikang, a disciple of the Bamboo Grove. I have come to the Merit Hall today to collect a mission. I wonder... when will Uncle-Master finish his competition?"

"Oh, oh, you are Little Ye's apprentice. Good, good."

Elder Yun replied dismissively, not even bothering to look back. "I've been locked in this contest with Brother Toad for two hours today, and it's still a stalemate. It will likely take several more hours to conclude. You should go back for now and return another day!"

Feng Zikang frowned. After a moment of thought, he suddenly stepped forward.

"Hey! What are you doing? Don't startle Brother Toad!"

"Slap!"

Feng Zikang raised his right hand and brought his palm down, instantly flattening the lethargic Crimson Gold Toad into a toad-paste patty!

"Insolent!"

Elder Yun exploded in fury, hopping up while clutching his beard.

"You young whelp, people were having a perfectly fine contest, how dare you come in and disrupt it?"

If this boy hadn't been the apprentice of Ye Tiansheng from the Bamboo Grove, Elder Yun would have already slapped him across the face long ago. Even General Lu, back in the day, had to watch him compete with crickets silently; which third-generation disciple would dare act so presumptuously in front of him?

Feng Zikang slowly clapped his hands, shaking off the residue. His completely unhurried demeanor enraged Elder Yun even more. He jumped and shouted; if Feng Zikang didn't offer an explanation, he swore he wouldn't let him step foot inside the Merit Hall ever again!

Of course, this was just empty talk. The doors of the Merit Hall were wide open; any qualified disciple could go there to receive missions. It wasn't something an elder could decide based on personal preference. However, Elder Yun was responsible for assigning merits, and if he disliked someone and intentionally made things difficult, it could indeed become very troublesome.

Feng Zikang smiled, radiating confidence, and spoke with a chuckle.

"Uncle-Master, you've been deceived by this toad!"

Elder Yun blinked. "How did a toad deceive me? It can't talk!"

The toad couldn't speak, so how could it cheat? Even if it had achieved sentience, managed to shed its inherent limitations, and gained the ability to speak human words, Elder Yun had endured hundreds of years of worldly strife; could he really be fooled by a mere toad?

"The toad cannot speak, but by putting on a show, it made you, respected elder, believe its presence was overwhelmingly powerful. If that isn't deception, what is it?"

"This toad had an imposing, mountain-like presence, its aura was extraordinary. Where was the deception?" Elder Yun shook his head, refusing to agree.

"If it were truly that formidable, why did it die so easily from a single slap from me?"

Feng Zikang had anticipated this response. He smirked slightly, throwing out an irrefutable fact: if the toad were as powerful as Elder Yun claimed, why was it so fragile?

"You..."

Elder Yun was so angry his beard stood on end. "You are twisting words! You are human, and it is a toad. Your size alone is much greater. If you slap it, how could it not die?"

"So you're saying that toads can never defeat humans?"

Elder Yun stroked his beard and shook his head. "Not necessarily. If it were a Five Venomous Green-Eyed Toad or a Three-Legged Golden Toad, you youngster wouldn't even be a match for it. Or if this Crimson Gold Toad had cultivated for two or three thousand years..."

"Yes, yes." Feng Zikang smiled wryly and quickly stopped Elder Yun from citing examples to prove the might of certain toad species. "I mean, this ordinary Crimson Gold Toad, if it hasn't cultivated for thousands of years, definitely cannot defeat a human, correct?"

Elder Yun tilted his head, thought for a moment, and reluctantly agreed.

"Since that is the case," Feng Zikang suppressed his laughter, "Uncle-Master Yun, toads are naturally built to crawl close to the ground, while humans stand upright on two feet. Since the toad cannot surpass the human, does that not imply that the human's upright posture holds a stronger presence? Uncle-Master, you are abandoning your own inherent advantage to study the enemy's weakness. Isn't that like climbing a tree to find a fish, or heading south when you intend to go north?"

"This..."

Elder Yun was momentarily confused by his quick turn of phrase, feeling bewildered and at a loss.

"The toad cannot defeat the human, therefore the toad's stance is inferior... Wait, that's not right... Then why does the Qigong lineage practice the Five Animal Frolics, emulating five different beasts? ... Although Qigong is far inferior to our military techniques, that is also a fact."

"Could this youngster actually have a point?"

Elder Yun lowered his gaze, scrutinizing Feng Zikang up and down.