Chu Feng's gaze flickered past, so brief that few noticed its piercing edge.
But anyone who did notice it felt a jolt in their hearts, their thoughts shifting drastically in that instant.
At this moment, among everyone present, only four had caught Chu Feng's fleeting look.
Yet none of those four were ordinary figures — they were Sima Huolie, Elder Hongmo, Elder Zhouquan, and Elder Wei.
In that instant, the way they regarded Chu Feng changed, especially Elder Hongmo, Elder Zhouquan, and Sima Huolie.
Each of them had sensed something — sensed that this young man was far from ordinary, that he was a formidable character. But before this moment, not one of them had picked up on it.
Sima Ying, however, clearly hadn't noticed Chu Feng's gaze. At this moment, she was so furious she was grinding her teeth, utterly unable to tolerate such an insult.
"You really are asking for death."
With a thunderous boom, her palm flipped and martial force surged. Sima Ying wasted no breath — she attacked Chu Feng directly.
And her strike was no trivial matter. The aura of a sixth-grade Martial King radiated outward, and her flipping palm deployed a martial art.
But this was no ordinary martial art — it was a forbidden martial art.
In a sparring match, who would resort to such a lethal technique? Sima Ying had no intention of merely testing Chu Feng. This was practically an attempt to take his life.
After all, Chu Feng's cultivation was plain for all to see — third-grade Martial King. As a sixth-grade Martial King, she could have slain him with ease, let alone while wielding a forbidden martial art.
But none of that mattered. What mattered was that the forbidden martial art Sima Ying unleashed carried devastating force as it hurtled toward Chu Feng.
"Damn it." At this moment, many of the Alchemy Department elders could no longer sit still. They could feel the enormity of Sima Ying's attack.
Don't be fooled by the fact that Sima Ying was a monstrous genius in barrier techniques — her combat power was no less formidable. She possessed strength that could bridge two full grades of cultivation.
On the surface she was a sixth-grade Martial King, but her true combat power was on the level of an eighth-grade Martial King.
"Don't interfere. Trust Chu Feng. Barrier techniques, I wouldn't dare say — but when it comes to raw combat power, Sima Ying is nothing but someone begging for a beating in front of Chu Feng."
At that moment, many of the Alchemy Department elders wanted to intervene, but Elder Wei's voice reached their ears in a quiet transmission, brimming with confidence in Chu Feng.
And so these half-emperor realm powerhouses held back, choosing to watch and see whether Chu Feng could truly handle it.
"Arrogant fool. See what your hubris has brought you? You deserve to die."
Unlike those elders, Hei Qing — also of the Alchemy Department — was secretly delighted. He was hoping Sima Ying's strike would blast Chu Feng's soul to smithereens, eliminating one of his rivals.
But unfortunately for him, that wish was destined to go unfulfilled...
Boom!
Suddenly, a thunderous roar erupted as Sima Ying's attack landed squarely on Chu Feng's body.
But the moment the energy ripples began to spread, they dissipated as if by some sinister trick — the ripples had been devoured.
And when those energy ripples vanished entirely, every elder present — Hei Qing and Sima Ying most of all — stood frozen, jaws agape, eyes wide with disbelief.