The man and woman were actually around the same age as Chu Feng and Dantai Xue, making them the youngest among the Nangong Imperial Clan's juniors present — aside from that little girl — barely past twenty.
As for the other so-called juniors, they were either approaching thirty, already well past it, or even in their forties.
But that couldn't be helped. After all, in a place like the Land of Martial Valor, people routinely lived for hundreds or even thousands of years. So strictly speaking, anyone under fifty could still count as a junior — and a standard one at that.
Both the man and the woman were striking in appearance — not merely handsome and beautiful, but also carrying themselves with an exceptional bearing, a truly impressive presence.
A cultivator's appearance could be altered, but one's bearing was innate. That was why, in some ways, one's presence mattered more than mere looks.
Moreover, both the man and the woman possessed powerful cultivation. The man in particular was even stronger than Dantai Xue — a third-stage Half-Emperor.
At his age, his cultivation was nearly on par with that prodigy of the Eastern Imperial Clan, Dongfang Zexuan. It was safe to say that this man standing before them was also an extraordinary genius within the Nangong Imperial Clan.
As for the woman, her cultivation was comparatively weaker — only a first-stage Half-Emperor. But that was only when measured against the man. Under normal circumstances, her cultivation was still terrifyingly strong. She was a rare genius, the kind that even the current Nine Great Powers didn't have.
Suddenly, with so many geniuses appearing, Chu Feng's eighth-stage Martial King cultivation instantly seemed insignificant — even unworthy of comparison.
But Chu Feng felt not a shred of inferiority, nor even a hint of threat. He understood full well that while his cultivation might be weaker than theirs for the time being, that didn't mean it would always remain so.
After all, who were they? Members of the Nangong Imperial Clan. As long as they showed talent from a young age, they would have virtually unlimited cultivation resources at their disposal. It would be strange if their cultivation wasn't strong.
But what about Chu Feng? Despite his extraordinary talent, he had clawed his way to where he was today almost entirely on his own. He had come from the Nine Provinces Continent, where martial talent was generally weak and cultivation resources were scarce.
So even if their cultivation surpassed his, their inner fortitude could never match his, nor could their understanding of martial cultivation come close. And in terms of future progress, they would never be able to keep up with him.
For Chu Feng as he was now, he would hardly encounter any bottlenecks. All he lacked were cultivation resources. Given sufficient resources, his cultivation could rocket to terrifying heights in one breath.
In truth, Chu Feng's progress was already terrifying. From the moment he arrived in the Land of Martial Valor, joined the Southern Forest, and then transferred to Green Wood Mountain — going through a series of events and racing about hither and thither — it seemed like an incredibly busy stretch of time. Yet in reality, less than two years had passed.
Yet in less than two years, his cultivation had leapt from the eighth-stage Martial Lord to the eighth-stage Martial King. That kind of progress was truly terrifying.
Even those so-called geniuses of the Nangong Imperial Clan obviously couldn't match that pace, to say nothing of the fact that Chu Feng had achieved it entirely on his own, through countless dangers.
That was why Chu Feng had every confidence that he would surpass them all in the near future. And when facing people he was about to overtake, what reason did he have to feel inferior?
"Brother, Sister, look! That big brother really is only an eighth-stage Martial King!" The little girl, seeing that her two siblings were ignoring her, shouted even louder — loud enough that almost everyone nearby heard.
The man, to his credit, was rather amiable. Upon noticing Chu Feng looking their way, he actually smiled and gave Chu Feng a nod — showing none of the arrogance one might expect from a genius, nor any of the condescension of imperial clan nobility. His attitude was quite warm.
"Hmph—" But compared to the man, the woman was far worse. She not only shot Chu Feng a look of contempt and let out a disdainful snort, but also grabbed the little girl, pointed at Chu Feng, and said:
"Little sister, remember — that guy is nothing but a negative example."
"This isn't a place just anyone can come. Anyone below the Half-Emperor realm who shows up here is simply overestimating themselves."