"Isn't it because, back on the Immortal Island, I made you slap yourself ten times?" Seeing that Beitang Zi Mo remained silent, Chu Feng smiled faintly and continued.
"What? Slapped himself ten times? Beitang Zi Mo? Beitang Zi Mo slapped himself ten times? What on earth happened?" The moment Chu Feng spoke these words, the crowd erupted in shock. They had heard all about Chu Feng's many impressive feats, but this particular incident had never reached their ears. And for them, this was absolutely explosive news.
In that instant, Beitang Zi Mo's face turned green with rage. Not even the onlookers on the Immortal Island had dared to spread word of this matter. He had never imagined that Chu Feng would actually bring it up before this crowd, publicly humiliating him all over again.
"However, you did agree to accept the consequences of losing the bet. So this situation now... could it be that you can't afford to lose?" Chu Feng pressed on.
"Chu Feng, shut your mouth!" Beitang Zi Mo could no longer endure it. He jabbed a finger at Chu Feng and roared with fury, ready to renege on everything.
"Shut my mouth? Oh my, so you're planning to weasel out of it."
"That's fine, though. If you want to deny it, there's not much I can do. After all, it's hardly something to be proud of. If you feel ashamed about it, I, Chu Feng, can simply pretend it never happened."
"But there were so many people on the Immortal Island that day — could they all do the same and pretend nothing ever happened?" Chu Feng spread his hands and shrugged. Though he wore an expression of complete indifference, he glanced over at Nangong Ya and Nangong Baihe.
"Brother Zi Mo, I witnessed what happened that day too. You really can't stubbornly deny it — that would be terribly ungracious." Nangong Ya caught on to Chu Feng's meaning and immediately spoke up, corroborating Beitang Zi Mo's actions from that day, subtly confirming to the crowd that Chu Feng's account was true.
"Exactly! Beitang Zi Mo, have you forgotten how loud the slaps were when you were hitting yourself? Those smacks were louder than firecrackers! Oh, and you even drew blood from your own cheeks — it was truly a pitiful sight."
Nangong Baihe chimed in as well. The girl truly had no sense of mercy — not only did she confirm what Beitang Zi Mo had done, she also described him in the most pathetic terms imaginable, painting such a vivid picture that everyone could easily picture exactly what Beitang Zi Mo had looked like that day, slapping himself over and over.
The crowd completely erupted. Some people could barely hold back their laughter.
If it had been only Chu Feng's word against his, they might have had doubts. But now Nangong Ya and Nangong Baihe had both spoken up, and Beitang Zi Mo's reaction was anything but natural. It seemed the matter was almost certainly true.
Just thinking about the fact that Beitang Zi Mo had done something so disgraceful and then tried to deny it, they all silently drew a negative mark next to his character.
And when they considered that Beitang Zi Mo had come here to block Chu Feng's path only because he had lost a bet on the Immortal Island and swallowed a bitter pill — that he was relying on his family's influence to seek revenge — they drew yet another negative mark.
Because Beitang Zi Mo's behavior was truly disgraceful. He was not a man of any real character.
"Enough, all of you!"
This was the moment Beitang Zi Mo exploded. He had come here to put Chu Feng in his place, yet once again, he had been humiliated by Chu Feng and his associates.
"Chu Feng, what right do you have to activate ten rings of light? What special ability do you have? Is it just that ninth-level Martial King cultivation of yours?"
"I'm telling you, I, Beitang Zi Mo, will never accept it. Cheater or not, I refuse to acknowledge you!" Beitang Zi Mo pointed at Chu Feng and bellowed with rage — and this was genuinely how he felt.
"Oh, so that's what's been eating at you." At this, Chu Feng smiled serenely, then said: "Talent isn't something I care much about. You were the one who insisted I take that talent test back then, so I did."
"After the test was over, you accused me of cheating. But if I had cheated, why did you slap yourself?"
"Whether it was cheating or not, couldn't all those people tell the difference? Do you think everyone else was blind?" Chu Feng pressed him with one pointed question after another, each one perfectly reasonable. Even the onlookers who hadn't witnessed the truth themselves were nodding vigorously, thinking Chu Feng made perfect sense.
"Stop spewing nonsense! Who knows if you and the Forging Immortal had already colluded? What if he secretly helped you?" Beitang Zi Mo would naturally never admit that Chu Feng had genuinely triggered ten rings of light through his own ability.
*Sigh...* Chu Feng shook his head and sighed. Then he spoke: "Before, I didn't understand what it meant to have a heart of stone. Now I do."
"Humiliating me, Chu Feng, is one thing — but to also slander the Forging Immortal? Have you forgotten the benefits you reaped from the Immortal Cultivation Lake that day? That was the Forging Immortal's lifeblood!" Chu Feng sighed as he questioned him, making Beitang Zi Mo sound even more ungrateful.
"Stop deflecting! I simply believe your talent was fabricated. Otherwise, how could you have cultivated for so long and still only be a measly ninth-level Martial King — not even a Half-Emperor?" Beitang Zi Mo latched onto Chu Feng's cultivation level, which was indeed his weak point.
Under Beitang Zi Mo's relentless attacks, many in the crowd began to harbor suspicions. Chu Feng's talent had been clearly demonstrated on the Immortal Island, but after all, people had only heard about it — they hadn't seen it for themselves.
And right now, Chu Feng's ninth-level Martial King cultivation was laid bare before their very eyes. A ninth-level Martial King was hardly weak among the younger generation of the Sacred Land of Martial Arts, but compared to the likes of Beitang Zi Mo, he looked woefully insufficient.
Could this ninth-level Martial King, Chu Feng, truly be stronger than Beitang Zi Mo and Nangong Ya? A fresh question mark appeared in the minds of many.
"Beitang Zi Mo, you can criticize me, Chu Feng, all you like — but when you insult the Forging Immortal, I will not stand for it. You look down on my talent, do you? You look down on a ninth-level Martial King?"
"Very well. Today, I, Chu Feng, will show you exactly what kind of person I am."
"Anyone from the Beitang Imperial Clan below Half-Emperor — as many of you as you like, come at me. If any one of you forces me back a single step, I'll consider myself the loser." Chu Feng's words rang out with absolute confidence.
But the people present didn't know what Chu Feng was truly capable of. To them, his declaration sounded far too arrogant. Anyone below Half-Emperor, as many as they pleased, and he'd consider himself defeated if he retreated even half a step? That was outrageously overconfident — especially considering his opponents were no ordinary fighters, but members of the Beitang Imperial Clan, who carried imperial bloodlines!
Was there anyone in the Beitang Imperial Clan who wasn't a genius? Could Chu Feng really pull this off?