I am the best in the world (7): You will be fined for using puns!!

He wanted to ask, but in front of him, Chu Feng was not the Lord God with complete memories, so even if he asked, he wouldn’t get an answer. Si Qi continued to walk up the heavenly ladder while pondering.

At this moment, the height that he and Chu Feng had reached was already at a level that could not be ignored. Many magic warriors, who were struggling to climb the ladder and enduring unimaginable torment, looked up at the two figures above them, one to the left and one to the right, their faces filled with disbelief.

“That person is the eldest son of the Si family, right? How could he be here?”

“I believe Chu Feng could make it there. But Si Qi? Absolutely impossible!”

“Is this heavenly ladder ineffective for mortals?”

“Hey! Look! Si Qi has stopped!”

The crowd below was buzzing with discussion, while Si Qi above was gasping for breath.

Not to mention, climbing four or five hundred flights of stairs in one go is really exhausting.

But others couldn’t possibly think that Si Qi was just exhausted from climbing the stairs, and confidently said, “He must be unable to withstand the trial of the heart, and is on the verge of breaking down.”

“What exactly are the fourth and fifth tests?”

“No matter what it is, let’s carefully observe their reactions first; we might find some clues!”

Si Qi took out a delicate handkerchief from the storage ring, gently dabbed the sweat on his forehead, and said to Chu Feng, “Let’s eat here.”

Chu Feng nodded slightly.

The people below watched Si Qi and Chu Fen’s interaction above with serious expressions and said solemnly, “I understand now, this time the test is culinary skills!”

“No, it’s tea ceremony, right?”

“No! It’s pre-meal etiquette!” 

No matter how hard they thought, they would never have guessed that Si Qi was just resting because he was tired.

No one would ever dream that on this ladder where every step required all one’s strength, someone would actually stop to cook a meal, drink a pot of tea, and rest enough before continuing up.

“Remember Si Qi’s current movements, they can serve as a reference later.”

“……This is way too difficult. I doubt I’ll ever be able to do it like him. Why does he even look so good just eating?”

“Don’t even think about it, you didn’t even bring any utensils, how can you imitate anything?”

“…That’s true!”

While eating lunch, Si Qi said to Chu Feng, “Do you feel what this test is about?”

Chu Feng pondered for a moment, uncertainly saying, “Inferiority?”

“Inferiority? No wonder it doesn’t affect us. Mm~ this shrimp paste is really delicious~” Si Qi savored the delicacy, looking completely satisfied. 

Chu Feng silently sipped his tea, watching the young man eat while occasionally laughing at the magic warriors below who were working themselves to the bone. This morbid sense of humor indeed showed that he was not affected by any feelings of inferiority.

Even though he was born into this world as a mere mortal, everyone around him were powerful magic warriors. Even though he was the heir of a large family, everyone mocked him for being unworthy of his position. Even though he had never felt the warmth of a family since childhood, he had a brother like Si Wu, who enjoyed parental affection, was exceptionally gifted from a young age, and was praised by others.

But he didn’t have a hint of inferiority; instead, he stuck to his own ideas, lived uniquely, wore the best clothes, ate the most delicious food, and lived a strong and carefree life.

With such a disposition, even the cold-hearted Chu Feng couldn’t help but be moved by the boy’s resilience.

This was indeed an exceptional young man, so outstanding that even the well-informed Chu Feng had never seen anyone like him.

After eating and drinking his fill, Si Qi, under the increasingly puzzled and envious gazes of the people below, took out a recliner, stretched lazily, and said, “I’ll lean for a bit and digest my food.”

Chu Feng nodded, then sat down beside him, took out a book, and quietly started reading.

The people below couldn’t hold it together anymore.

“Are they really taking a break?”

“……In a place like this?”

The magic warriors were left dumbfounded by this display, yet they had to admit, “Why do I feel like Si Qi is asleep? Look at his breathing rate, he’s obviously sleeping, right?”

“How could he possibly sleep in a place like this? Just standing here is already unbearable for me.”

Chu Feng heard that Si Qi was asleep but didn’t wake him up. It wasn’t until half an hour later that he gently nudged Si Qi’s shoulder.

Si Qi: “Hmm? Ah? I wasn’t sleeping, I wasn’t sleeping, ha…”

He yawned.

Chu Feng: “……”

“Feeling sleepy after a meal,” Si Qi mumbled, folding the cool, thin blanket he had draped over himself back into the space, standing up and stretching lazily. “Mmm~~~ so comfortable! Alright! Rested enough, let’s head to the top floor in one go!”

After half an hour, the magic warriors who had finally managed to get a bit closer: So you really were sleeping, huh?? Are you even human??

What drove them even more crazy was that after Si Qi had enough rest, his speed climbing the stairs was much faster than before.

“Don’t tell me the reason this guy was walking so slowly before was because he was tired…”

“Ha, haha… I actually naively thought the fatigue on his face just now was because the trial was too grueling…”

Turned out he was just tired from climbing the stairs!

“By the way, should we take a nap here too? Maybe that’s the way to recover our mindset?”

“You say that because you want to slow us down so you can climb a couple more floors yourself, right?”

“Hehe, you caught me, huh?”

Inferiority, fear, great joy, great sorrow, laziness, jealousy… all kinds of human emotions were maximized on this ladder. With the experience of the previous few hundred steps, Si Qi quickly adapted to the latter ones.

In the last world, to suppress the occasional emerging demons, Si Qi was quite skilled in controlling them. However, he was surprised that the person beside him, who was estimated to be no more than a hundred years old, could remain so calm. He could only marvel at how this person was indeed a genius, excelling in any world.

The ladder of nine hundred and ninety-nine levels reached the final stage. As the  saying goes, “A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step,” and compared to the different tests every ninety-nine levels before, the last nine levels were clearly the most difficult.

Si Qi and Chu Feng stopped once again. This time, the magic warriors below could no longer feel any sense of comparison towards the two. In a situation where countless people couldn’t even pass the most basic tests of human nature like greed, lust, and anger, there was nothing left for the people above but admiration for the two who effortlessly overcame the challenges one after another.

At least in terms of character and conduct, they absolutely overshadowed everyone else present, no doubt about it.

Si Qi hummed a little tune, lazily leaning back in his chair, casually carving magic spells.

Chu Feng sat beside him, watching him carve, and softly asked, “Did you come up with all these yourself?”

Si Qi nodded, “Most of them are my original creations, and some were learned from various other sources.”

Different worlds have different rules. The magical worlds that Si Qi had experienced were divided into countless magical systems, such as gaining magical power by making wishes to deities, obtaining magical power through self-cultivation, acquiring magical power by inscribing demon blood onto oneself, being born as an elf and thus able to use magical power, and so on.

It is obviously impossible to directly copy magic from another world without any adaptation. The only way to find a point of compatibility, to modify the magic of one system into the magic of another system, and to use the means of this world to bring the magic of other worlds into reality, was through Si Qi’s own efforts.

If Si Qi were the Child of the World, he might just need to casually take a golden finger from Chu Feng’s treasury to use. Those treasures, mediated by the power of the world, were not bound by the rules of the small world. Unfortunately, Si Qi was not…

Hmm?

Wait, didn’t Si Qi also have this kind of golden finger himself?

For example, the mech sealed by the leaves of the World Tree…

Si Qi suddenly remembered that the reason Chu Feng could seal treasures from different worlds in the form of tokens and bring them to any world at will was because Chu Feng was the Lord god. Since his true form was condensed from the power of the world, he could naturally use the power of the world to do anything he wanted.

But why could Si Qi do it too?

At that time, he was just thinking that as a quick traveler, he couldn’t selfishly use the golden finger, so if he could find a way to create his own golden finger and bring it to another world, that would be great. So, after pondering for a bit, he used the leaves of the World Tree to do it.

It was not difficult, so he didn’t think much of it at the time.

But, was this really something that could be done casually?

If anyone could do it, then why have so many experienced quick-travel agents never done it before…

Si Qi instinctively wanted to ask the person next to him, Chu Feng, but then remembered that Chu Feng hadn’t regained his memory yet, so he turned to ask Xiu Xiu instead.

Xiu Xiu is a little fool who wholeheartedly loved his master. Without hesitation, he said, [Of course, because the master is the master! The master can do anything! This little thing is nothing at all!]

Si Qi: [Uh… yeah… thank you.]

Well, let’s just go with that.

Si Qi had experienced turning the impossible into the possible too many times. At this moment, with an additional skill that others didn’t have, Si Qi wouldn’t be overly surprised.

Moreover, when Chu Feng first saw the World Tree leaf sealed with a large amount of wish power, he didn’t show any signs of surprise. Instead, he smiled and praised him a few times, saying “Very good,” so it must not be something forbidden or bad.

–

After resting enough, Si Qi called out to Chu Feng, and the two continued on their way.

“Si Qi.”

Halfway there, Si Qi suddenly heard Chu Feng’s call and instinctively turned around, a subconscious smile on his face.

However, this smile froze the moment he saw the figure.

A sword pierced through Chu Feng’s heart, and the figure dressed in white suddenly stiffened, a mouthful of blood spilling from the corner of his mouth.

A cold wind blew past Si Qi from behind, causing him to hesitate in his steps and realize he was standing at the edge of a cliff. Chu Feng stood right behind him, gripping the sword that had pierced through his body tightly with his hand. The expression in his eyes as he looked at Si Qi was filled with indescribable sorrow. With the last bit of his strength, he shouted, “Run!!”

Accompanied by these heart-wrenching words, a flood of memories swept through Si Qi’s mind in an instant. Just as he was in a daze, the swordsman who had been by his side for many years could no longer withstand the blood gushing from his wounds. The sword in his chest was ruthlessly pulled out. He turned around, whispering to Si Qi, “Stay alive,” but his voice was quickly drowned out by the sound of the wind.

Si Qi watched helplessly as the battered body collapsed from exhaustion, the dim and lifeless eyes no longer holding any spark of life. Extreme anger drowned all of Si Qi’s rationality; he forgot the earlier confusion and the mission assigned to him by the Quick Travel Bureau. He drew his long sword from his waist and fiercely struck at the Child of the World’s head, then turned to reclaim his friend’s lifeless body, carrying the weak shell on his back. With red-rimmed eyes, he let out a roar and broke through the encirclement.

The blood-soaked face made him look like a terrifying, bloodthirsty demon.

The surrounding martial artists were all terrified, watching as Si Qi, once a pitiful figure burdened by numerous false accusations and unable to defend himself, transformed into a vengeful spirit from hell, engaging in a fierce battle with the Son of the World.

Regret weighed him down, making it hard for him to breathe. Silent tears streamed down his face as he cradled the swordsman’s body in his arms, his heart feeling as if it had been hollowed out.

Xiu Xiu saw Si Qi suddenly stop, his face changing drastically, as if possessed, drawing his weapon and engaging in a fierce battle with Chu Feng. Instantly panicked, he exclaimed, [Master, what’s wrong? Master, please stop!!]

Si Qi, already blinded by rage from fighting the Child of the World, heard the system trying to intervene and roared with bloodshot eyes, [Shut up!!]

Xiu Xiu trembled in fear.

At the same time, Chu Feng, who was also trapped in a hallucination and witnessed the most painful scene of his life, knelt on the ground with blank eyes. Around him were the broken bodies of his relatives, and blood almost covered the entire wall.

The intense shock made the boy forget even how to cry. At that moment, all the warmth of the world was drawn away, and coldness swept over his body, making it seem as if he didn’t even know how to feel joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness.

He numbly bent down and pulled out the sword lodged in his father’s chest. As he gripped the sword, he felt an inexplicable surge of power within him, as if he could easily cut through anything in the world.

Revenge, he was going for revenge…

Chu Feng turned around expressionlessly, the blood beneath his feet forming a path paved with crimson.

At the end of the path, he saw the detestable enemy. In an instant, the cold world became unbearably hot, hot enough to drive him to madness.

He raised his sword and struck down fiercely—

“Clang—”

The two long swords clashed violently in mid-air. Xiu Xiu saw its master and Chu Feng fighting, and in Si Qi’s consciousness space, it was so scared that it kept screaming.

The magic warriors below the heavenly ladder were even more dumbfounded as they watched the two above, trembling with fear, saying, “What, what are they doing?”

“Have they turned against each other?”

However, this was not the end of it. Watching the people who had originally gotten along well suddenly start fighting, and the fight becoming increasingly fierce, the magic warriors were left speechless by the deadly attacks.

“Si Qi actually has the strength to fight back? Isn’t he just a mortal? Didn’t they say he was a useless person who didn’t understand martial arts?”

Chu Feng was a well-known ninth-grade master, and his martial skills were widely recognized. There were probably very few people in the world who could stand on equal footing with him.

Yet, Si Qi, who would get out of breath just from climbing a few hundred steps, was actually able to clash with this expert, fighting him head-on for so long without losing any ground.

The magic warriors thought they must have fallen into an illusion; otherwise, how could such an absurd thing happen?

“I must be seeing things…”

“A mortal can use martial arts?”

“Si Qi isn’t using martial arts; he’s just dancing with a sword… but this swordplay is too amazing… how did he come up with it?”

“Could it be that they’re sparring?”

“Is it really necessary to spar in a place like this? And look at them, they’re both aiming for each other’s vital spots… This is clearly a fight to the death!”

Xiu Xiu, almost going crazy, flew in the consciousness space of Si Qi, desperately shouting: [Master! Master!! Wake up! You’re fighting with the Lord God!!]

With red eyes, Si Qi replied: [Shut up! Damn system! Don’t disturb me! I don’t care about this quick-traveling job anymore, I quit!!]

Xiu Xiu’s eyes were filled with tears: [Wuwuwu, Master, it’s Xiu Xiu…] he was always called by his nickname, but the sudden cold tone with which he shouted at him made Xiu Xiu very hurt. [What you see now is an illusion. This world is gone. You are now in another time and space, fighting alongside the person you love the most…]

Si Qi’s mind was in turmoil, with anger and reason engaged in an unfair battle. He struck fiercely, wishing he could kill the enemy before him, who seemed impossible to defeat. At the same time, he hesitated, unsure whether to trust the system’s words.

Xiu Xiu quickly projected the scene from reality into Si Qi’s mind: [Master! Look clearly!]

Si Qi’s pupils dilated sharply, staring in horror at the young man in strange clothes who looked exactly like Chu Feng. Instinctively, he tilted his sword, wanting to turn around to look at the swordsman corpse he had carefully carried on his back, and screamed, [Master! Get away quickly!!]

Hearing the warning, Si Qi turned his head at the critical moment, and a lock of hair at his temple was brutally cut off by Chu Feng.

He looked at the man in front of him, whose expression was extremely cold and whose every move seemed intent on killing him, with disbelief. With red eyes, he broke down and said, “Chu Feng?! You want to kill me?!”

Xiu Xiu quickly explained: [No, Master! The Lord God is also seeing illusions now!]

Si Qi was completely confused: [What on earth is going on! Why are there two of him?]

After saying that, Si Qi suddenly realized something was wrong. Why could he use sword techniques? He was clearly just an ordinary fast-traveling agent sent to deliver a golden finger to the world’s chosen one. Not long ago, apart from acting cute, being adorable, sleeping in, and accepting the god’s offerings, he didn’t know anything else. How could he master such skills?

Xiu Xiu quickly explained, [It’s like this, Master. You are currently undergoing a trial in another world, and the trial content has shown you many past scenes from different worlds…]

Si Qi was dodging Chu Feng’s attacks unilaterally, murmuring: [A long time ago in many worlds…]

[Yes!] Xiu Xiu said: [All of this is in the past. You had already avenged the Lord God back then!]

Si Qi was stunned and said: [Lord God? What are you talking about? Chu Feng is the Lord God? How did the Lord God become Chu Feng… Is he here to take me back? Then why did he die? Can he come back to life?]

Xiu Xiu was overwhelmed by the thousand “whys” and could only throw caution to the wind and say, [Anyway! The Lord God is Chu Feng, and Chu Feng is your most beloved Lord God! You two have experienced many worlds together, and now you are a couple! And now—]

Si Qi’s face instantly turned red, and in a panic, he said, [W-What? C-c-couple? H-how can I… But that’s the Lord God… I’m just a pet…]

Xiu Xiu was so anxious that he cried out loudly, [Ahhh!! Thinking is not Xiu Xiu’s strong suit!! How should Xiu Xiu explain this!!!]

“…………”

Seeing Xiu Xiu like this, Si Qi could only temporarily forget his earlier emotions, force himself to calm down, and said with a flushed face, [I understand now, so what I’m seeing right now is an illusion, right? And the Lord God also mistakenly thinks I’m his enemy right now…]

Xiu Xiu was overjoyed to the point of tears: [Yes! Master, what you said is absolutely correct! Wuwuwu… As expected, when it comes to making decisions that require thinking, we have to rely on Master…]

Si Qi, while fending off Chu Feng’s attacks, said: [So, what’s the way to break the illusion?]

Xiu Xiu was troubled, racking its brain for a long time, and suddenly had a flash of inspiration, saying: [Xiu Xiu knows! We just need to walk up the heavenly ladder!]

[Heavenly Ladder?] Si Qi glanced at the end of the long staircase out of the corner of his eye. There were only a few more steps left to reach his current position. He said, [As long as I reach the top, right?]

[Yes!]

Si Qi: [Okay, I trust you.]

With that, Si Qi decisively sheathed his sword and charged straight towards the highest point ahead.

This was a very dangerous move. If he reached the top and Chu Feng still hadn’t regained his sanity, he would be easily pierced through the heart by Chu Feng, who would be facing away from him.

But Si Qi showed no hesitation, quickly climbing the last few steps in twos and threes, standing on the platform that suddenly illuminated with a deep blue halo, calmly accepting the final judgment.

The pain did not come.

Memories also returned in an instant.

Chu Feng, who always had a cold and expressionless face, showed a moment of panic for the first time. He quickly moved the sword that was aimed at Si Qi’s back.

The next second, his body was suddenly embraced, and the boy greedily absorbed the warmth from him.

His heart was pounding rapidly, and the aftershock of fear swept over Chu Feng. If Si Qi didn’t have such superb swordsmanship, if Si Qi were just an ordinary mortal, would he have killed the young man with his own hands? Would he never again—

“It’s okay, it’s just an illusion.”

Noticing his lover’s nervousness, Si Qi gently stroked Chu Feng’s back in a comforting manner.

Chu Feng stared blankly at the young man in front of him, his panicked expression gradually softening.

Until the moment he almost lost the boy, he had no idea how important the boy was to him.

Just like when he lost his parents back then, he never wanted to experience the feeling of losing a loved one again.

He wrapped his arms around the boy who was tightly nestled in his embrace, instead of pushing him away like before.

The boy leaned against his chest, gazing into his eyes, and said earnestly, “You know, after going through this ladder to heaven, I’ve realized that I love you even more than before. Because in my life’s seven emotions and six desires, and even in the past and future, you are always there. You are my everything.”

Chu Feng’s heart softened, and he hugged Si Qi’s arms even tighter.

The magic warriors below, seeing the two who were fighting for their lives just a moment ago suddenly hugging each other, were taken aback.

“What are they doing?”

“Will we do the same when we go up?”

“This test is too difficult…”

Immediately, they saw Si Qi and Chu Feng exchange a smile after parting ways, then walk hand in hand through the portal, disappearing at the top of the heavenly ladder.

They had already completed this round of trials, so the truth might only be revealed once they finished the trials.

If they could reach that height.

“Achoo—”

As soon as they left the trial ground, the bone-chilling wind almost turned Si Qi into a popsicle. Chu Feng quickly channeled his power into the ring, creating an invisible barrier that blocked the cold wind and chill. Si Qi, shivering, hurriedly found some clothes to put on.

“The, the buttons won’t fasten…” Si Qi, with trembling hands, coquettishly said to Chu Feng, “Help me…”

Knowing that the boy was definitely trying to tease him again, this time, Chu Feng didn’t refuse with a stern face.

He carefully fastened the boy’s buttons and then draped his soft, thick cloak over him, tying it securely.

Si Qi was taken aback by Chu Feng’s cooperation, feeling that something seemed different.

Did Chu Feng see something in the illusion?

Or was it because of some other reason?

Regardless, Si Qi took advantage of the situation, chuckled, and hugged Chu Feng’s arm, pressing further: “I just had a fight with you, and now my body is so sore and painful~ I need a hug~~”

Chu Feng paused for a moment, and after a while, he actually bent down and picked up Si Qi. Si Qi then laughed even more joyfully, wrapping his arms around Chu Feng’s neck:

“In the future, if we need to fight, we can do it in the room~~~ I, on my part, will give you what you ask for, and you, on your part, will fulfill my requests, okay~~”

Chu Feng: “………………”

He remained silent, pretending he didn’t understand, but his ears quietly turned red.

Si Qi, keenly aware of this, took advantage of Chu Feng’s shyness and pressed on, continuing to tease: “And then, we can also exchange technical issues. I will be honest with you, and you will welcome me with open arms~~ You will deeply understand me and share everything~~ We will climb to the peak day and night!!”

Chu Feng listened to these filthy words, his face turning bright red: “You, you!”

Despicable!

Si Qi smiled brightly, with an innocent look: “What’s wrong? I’m just talking to you about martial arts, aren’t I? You don’t think I mean anything else, do you?”

Chu Feng choked, unable to utter a word of rebuttal: “…………”

Si Qi laughed even more heartily, kissing Chu Feng on the cheek. Seeing Chu Feng freeze, Si Qi then asked, “So, do you want to kiss again?”

Chu Feng’s eyes were flustered, facing the boy’s mischievous gaze, completely at a loss.