"Brother Zhao, that's enough, isn't it? Those guys may be trash, but that one called
"Yeah, Brother Zhao, wasn't the whole point of coming here to spar with this Chu Feng — to test his abilities and see if he's really as strong as the rumors claim?"
"What you're doing isn't just sparring anymore. This is outright provocation, pure humiliation. If this Chu Feng really is as terrifying as they say, the three of us could be in serious trouble." The two men who had come with
"Serious trouble? Who's in serious trouble? Me? Pah!!!"
"I refuse to believe that some trash from the Southern Sea is so powerful he could drive the Han family away."
"Let me tell you, the Sect Master has had it out for the Han family for a long time now. Expelling them from our Southern Greenwood Forest was something the Sect Master would've done sooner or later — it had nothing to do with this Chu Feng." At the mere mention of Chu Feng's name, Zhao Genshuo's face was filled with contempt and displeasure.
"Zhao Genshuo, I'm advising you to think clearly. Plenty of elders and disciples witnessed what Chu Feng did today. That Chu Feng is a once-in-a-generation prodigy — his talent surpasses both yours and mine. The Sect Master thinks extremely highly of him and has even hailed him as the hope of our Southern Greenwood Forest. What you're doing right now is practically digging your own grave." The woman among the eighteen spoke up once more, trying to reason with him.
"Once-in-a-generation prodigy? Pah! If he's so powerful, have you seen it? Have any of you seen it? Who here has actually seen it?"
"If this Chu Feng is so amazing, then let him come out! I'm humiliating his Southern Sea people right to their faces — so where is your precious Chu Feng?" Hearing that Chu Feng's talent supposedly surpassed his own only made Zhao Genshuo's face twist with even greater displeasure, and he roared in fury.
"Are you looking for me?" Just as Zhao Genshuo's words still echoed through the air, a voice suddenly rang out from behind him.
By the time Zhao Genshuo reacted, his expression changed drastically. The two men beside him were so startled they flinched, instinctively leaping backward to put distance between themselves and the voice.
At the same time, nearly everyone present was caught off guard, because at this very moment, standing behind Zhao Genshuo was a youthful figure — and not a single person had noticed anyone approaching.
It was none other than Chu Feng.
"Chu Feng!" Compared to the others, when
"Chu Feng? So that's him. He really is as young as the rumors say. At his age, is he truly already a ninth-grade Martial Lord?"
"No, he's even younger than I imagined. They say that although his cultivation is at the ninth-grade Martial Lord level, he possesses some kind of secret technique that can instantaneously elevate his strength from a ninth-grade Martial Lord to a first-grade Martial King. It's simply inconceivable."
"And the rumors claim his combat power is extraordinary — he has abilities that defy the heavens, and even a third-grade Martial King is no match for him."
"Indeed. Defeating a third-grade Martial King while only being a first-grade Martial King — such overwhelming combat power would be rare even among the Core Disciples of Qingmu Mountain. Still, it's all hearsay, so who knows whether these reports about Chu Feng are actually true or not."
Once they confirmed Chu Feng's identity, the eighteen people's eyes lit up as they studied him carefully, murmuring among themselves.
"You're Chu Feng?" Zhao Genshuo asked, his tone laced with skepticism.
"I am Chu Feng. Is there something you'd like to say?" Chu Feng offered a faint smile, but a flash of cold intent flickered through his eyes.
That coldness was bone-piercing, drilling straight into one's heart — like an invisible blade that had already thrust itself into Zhao Genshuo's soul, into the deepest reaches of his spirit.
In that instant, all of Zhao Genshuo's previous bravado crumbled to nothing, as if everything about him had been obliterated. Staring at Chu Feng before him, he no longer dared feel even a shred of contempt. Simply continuing to stand in Chu Feng's presence felt like a miracle in itself.
In that moment, Zhao Genshuo was filled with regret. Arrogant and conceited as he was, he was still a young talent — not a fool. From the way Chu Feng's gaze pierced straight into the depths of his soul, he could discern just how powerful Chu Feng truly was.
He had already confirmed that Chu Feng was extraordinarily strong — not merely surpassing him, but far beyond every single disciple of the Southern Greenwood Forest. Even those expelled members of the Han family could not be mentioned in the same breath as Chu Feng.