Admit defeat…
Fang Yuan's words still echoed in the ears of the crowd.
In an instant, nearly all the Rank Two Gu Masters beneath the stone platform turned their surprised gazes toward him.
Fang Yuan paid them no attention. With his arms crossed, he remained where he stood, wearing a calm and detached expression.
"Admit defeat? He directly admitted defeat, did I hear that wrongly?"
"He is Fang Yuan? He doesn't even have the guts to come out, haha."
"We recognize Xiong Li's power, he is indeed strong. But even if you want to admit defeat, at least do that after the formalities. By directly admitting defeat, he is not only showing that he is a coward, he is even tarnishing the clan."
The murmurs spread like ripples across a still lake.
The Gu Masters' expressions shifted from shock to contempt, mockery, and smug satisfaction.
Many Gu Yue clan members felt a wave of discomfort; the stares from the Xiong and Bai clan Gu Masters were like invisible needles, pricking at their pride.
Fang Yuan was one of their own, and his open admission of defeat brought them a deep sense of shame.
"How could you admit defeat? Fang Yuan, you are a man of Gu Yue village, stand up and fight bravely with Xiong Li!"
"Even if you lost, it wouldn't be anything serious."
"If you don't even have the guts to go out, then that would really be throwing away our dignity!"
Several Gu Yue clan Gu Masters called out, pressuring Fang Yuan to accept the challenge.
But Fang Yuan remained unmoved; to him, their voices were nothing more than the barking of dogs.
Things like reputation, pride, and honor were nothing but illusions—painted pies on paper, used by those in power to control their subordinates.
These Gu Masters were no different from leashed hounds.
Xiong Li gazed at Fang Yuan and suddenly laughed, "I am truly disappointed. Is this how a Gu Yue village's bravery looks like?"
The Gu Yue clan's Gu Masters looked displeased upon hearing this.
Laughter erupted from the Xiong clan's side, and even the Bai clan's Gu Masters gazed at the Gu Yue clan with ridicule.
Those near Fang Yuan began to step away. Everyone created some space between themselves and him, their expressions showing discomfort and shame.
Soon, there wasn't a single person within five steps of Fang Yuan.
He stood there alone.
Unbothered by the isolation, his face remained calm—his attitude was clear: it's either his way or nothing at all.
While others chased after a heroic reputation, Fang Yuan dismissed it entirely, earning their contempt. Because he rejected the idea of fame, he was essentially rejecting the values held by society. To deny those values was, in effect, to reject the people who shaped their lives around them. Most people wouldn't dare question their own beliefs, as doing so would make them feel their way of life had been wrong.
So, they instinctively began to shun and isolate Fang Yuan. Someone weak-willed would have crumbled under such pressure and changed themselves to fit in.
But Fang Yuan welcomed the rejection. He carried too many secrets to blend in, and he preferred solitude. Besides, these people weren't worth forming bonds with.
Fang Yuan's goal was to grow stronger during this window of time.
Witnessing this scene, Gu Yue Qing Shu—the top Rank Two Gu Master in the Gu Yue clan—couldn't help but rise to his feet.
"Xiong Li, how about sparring with me?"
"Hehe, what will we compete on?" Xiong Li was smiling, but his expression was serious.
Gu Yue Qing Shu calmly said, "Let's compete on your strength. If you can break away from my green vine's binding, I will admit defeat. Is that okay?"
"Hehe, good suggestion, let's do it that way." Xiong Li grinned, his eyes revealing a bright light.
He thought to himself, "With my natural strength equal to that of a bear, and the added boost from the Grand Bear Gu, I now possess the power of two bears. Even though the green vines are resilient, I'm confident I can tear through them with brute force. Xiong Jiang already defeated Bai Bing Yi—if I can beat Qing Shu, it will earn us tremendous prestige!"
Qing Shu responded with a calm smile. Without saying a word, he raised his hands, and two green vines sprouted from his palms. Like agile green serpents, the vines slithered up Xiong Li's body and wrapped around him.
Xiong Li had his arms at his sides when the vines rapidly coiled around both limbs, circling them several times and tightly binding his arms behind his back.
Every Gu Master present remained fixated on the intense confrontation unfolding before them.
"Please." Qing Shu said to Xiong Li.
Xiong Li's eyes flew open.
He clenched his fists tightly and began to exert his full strength.
His muscles bulged, standing out like solid knots of stone across his massive frame.
The power of a bear!
Boom.
Under the sheer force he unleashed, the green vines began to tear apart.
"Hahaha, brother Qing Shu, it seems the winner of this contest belongs to me!" Xiong Li was using his strength to break free, but he still had enough energy to make a conversation.
"Senior Qing Shu…." Fang Zheng was nervous and his hands were sweating
The other Gu Yue clan's Gu Masters were also the same. Gu Yue Qing Shu was the number one among them and if he lost the contest, the Gu Yue Clan would have thoroughly lost their face this time!
"Not necessarily." Gu Yue Qing Shu smiled, his eyes showing confidence.
As he finished speaking, the green vines wrapped around his arms began to change.
What was once a jade-like green darkened to a deeper shade, while the vines thickened and broad green leaves began to sprout.
Xiong Li's expression shifted.
He could feel the pressure from the vines had increased more than tenfold.
What alarmed him even more was that the vines he had already torn apart began to regrow and reattach themselves.
Grand Bear Gu!
Sensing the situation worsening, he quickly activated the Grand Bear Gu within his aperture.
His body transformed—his hair bristled like steel needles, his muscles swelled, and he appeared taller and more powerfully built.
The strength of two bears!
The vines creaked under the strain, but they stubbornly held on, managing to withstand even this overwhelming force, keeping Xiong Li tightly restrained.
His face turned crimson as he poured every ounce of power into breaking free.
In the end, he only managed to snap a single vine and could go no further.
"I lost." He released the supporting strength of Grand Bear Gu and said while gasping.
"You let me win." Qing Shu cupped his hands and retrieved the green vines.
"Senior Qing Shu, you are the best." Gu Yue Clan's Gu Masters were jubilant.
"Senior Qing Shu really deserves his name. Big brother can't compare to him at all." Fang Zheng stood beside Qing Shu and looked at the latter with reverence.
Xiong Li looked at Gu Yue Qing Shu with a complicated expression. Although he had improved by obtaining the Brown Bear Innate Strength Gu, Qing Shu had advanced as well.
Xiong Li didn't know what method Qing Shu had used, but he could clearly sense that this was his true rival. As for Fang Yuan, he was just a newcomer—not worth the concern.
While fighting Qing Shu, Xiong Li hadn't noticed a small detail. Two emerald-green leaves had sprouted in Qing Shu's hair. This was a sign that he had used the Wood Charm Gu. The so-called Wood Charm was a kind of tree spirit.
By activating the Wood Charm Gu, a Gu Master could fight as an avatar of this tree spirit.
Tree spirits were unique beings, able to directly absorb natural essence from the surrounding air.
Gu Masters, on the other hand, could only draw primeval essence from their own apertures.
But when one used the Wood Charm Gu, they temporarily became a manifestation of a tree spirit, granting them the ability to take in natural essence from the air and restore their primeval essence.
This was comparable to absorbing primeval essence from primeval stones.
During battle, most Gu Masters couldn't focus on drawing energy from primeval stones while simultaneously fighting.
However, for someone in tree spirit form, absorbing natural essence was instinctive and required no conscious effort. This gave them a major advantage in prolonged battles. While not limitless, the steady replenishment allowed them to fight for up to three times longer than usual.
Moreover, once a Gu Master assumed the tree spirit form, Gu worms like the Green Vine Gu and Pine Needle Gu would also gain enhanced power.
The Xiong Li group returned to their camp. They first won against Bai Bing Yi, then met defeat against Qing Shu. Even so, the group still received a lot of applause and praises.
"Mo Yan, I challenge you."
"Come, Xiong Jiao Man, I will fight you!"
After the Xiong Li group, the whole scene suddenly became noisy. Many Gu Masters continuously came out and challenged the powerful opponents in their minds, demonstrating their bravery.
The Alliance slope turned chaotic, and all kinds of brilliant and varied Gu battles were occurring.
The true Gu battle had started.