"I... I..."
Faced with Zhuge Liuyun's interrogation, Liu Cheng'en's jaw trembled, his tongue tied in knots, unable to even utter a complete sentence.
"Whoosh!" Suddenly, Zhuge Liuyun stood on the Life and Death Stage. With a sweep of his arm, a sharp "crack" rang out. Liu Cheng'en, who was hundreds of meters away, was sent flying sideways through the air.
When he finally hit the ground, blood was spurting from his nose and mouth. One side of his face was badly swollen, and a deep red palm print was etched vividly upon his cheek.
"Great Elder Zhuge, spare me! Spare me! This humble one was blind and failed to recognize greatness! I didn't know that Chu Feng was your disciple! If I had known he was your disciple, even if you'd given me a hundred times the courage, I wouldn't have dared!"
After being slapped through the air, Liu Cheng'en hurriedly dropped to his knees. He didn't care what anyone else thought, repeatedly kowtowing and bowing toward Zhuge Liuyun on the Combat Platform, loudly begging for mercy.
Seeing this, no one found Liu Cheng'en's behavior shameful; instead, they thought it entirely reasonable. Who would dare disobey Zhuge Liuyun? Even Zhongli Yihu wouldn't dare talk back, let alone a mere Inner Sect Elder like him.
"Is there anyone else among you who has a problem with Chu Feng?" Zhuge Liuyun swept his icy gaze around the crowd, his eyes radiating chilling light and overwhelming dominance.
At that moment, who would dare speak? Whether they held unfavorable views of Chu Feng or were simply annoyed by him, all shut their mouths. Subconsciously, many took a step backward, as if signaling that they dared not have any objections to Chu Feng, let alone harm the disciple of Zhuge Liuyun.
Seeing this, Zhuge Liuyun nodded with satisfaction. He then walked over to Su Rou and said, "Su Rou, you previously protected my disciple. This old man rewards you for your merit."
A flash of light appeared at Zhuge Liuyun's waist, and an emerald-green herb materialized in his palm. This herb was exquisitely beautiful—translucent, radiating a gentle glow, its texture as lustrous as fine jade. Most importantly, the energy contained within it was incredibly potent. The surrounding air subtly rippled and trembled, because this herb contained Yuan Force.
"A Mystic Medicine!!"
Everyone was stunned. Even the various Core Elders showed expressions of envy. This was a Mystic Medicine, and a superior-grade one at that, worth an exorbitant price. It could be said to be a priceless treasure, something money couldn't buy, a rare find. For experts in the Xuan Wu Realm, its benefits were immeasurable.
"Thank you, Elder Zhuge."
Faced with this Mystic Medicine, even Su Rou's eyes lit up. A look of delighted surprise bloomed on her exquisitely beautiful face as she carefully accepted the herb into her hands.
The value of a Mystic Medicine was simply too high. For a superior-grade one, even someone of Su Rou's background couldn't afford to use it at will. In fact, many Xuan Wu Realm experts couldn't even afford a single inferior-grade Mystic Medicine. This showed just how precious and expensive Mystic Medicine was.
"Elder Li, thank you as well." Zhuge Liuyun produced another superior-grade Mystic Medicine and handed it to Elder Li.
Elder Li smiled faintly, the wrinkles on his face bunching together. Looking closely, he resembled a steamed bun—a very delighted steamed bun.
Zhuge Liuyun's actions made all the disciples and elders below burn with envy. A superior-grade Mystic Medicine was an absolute priceless treasure for them, yet Zhuge Liuyun was gifting them so generously.
However, the one who was most envious was, undoubtedly, Chu Feng. Mystic Medicine, and superior-grade Mystic Medicine at that! The amount of Yuan Force contained in one pill was far beyond what Yuan Pearls could offer. If he consumed one, who knew to what level his cultivation might rise.
Sensing Chu Feng's probing spiritual consciousness, Zhuge Liuyun shot him a sharp glance. After all, he was doing this for Chu Feng's sake. He wanted everyone to know that anyone who tried to deal with Chu Feng would not be forgiven by Zhuge Liuyun, but anyone who helped Chu Feng would definitely be rewarded.
He was indirectly telling the Core Disciples and Core Elders of the Azure Dragon Sect that in the conflict between Chu Feng and Gong Luyun, they didn't have to side with Chu Feng, but it would be best not to be too biased toward Gong Luyun. Because behind Chu Feng stood his Master, backing him up.
"Kid, come back with your Master." Zhuge Liuyun grabbed Chu Feng's shoulder. The surrounding space rippled, and the two vanished like ghosts. The means of a Spirit World Master were indeed beyond what ordinary people could achieve.
After Zhuge Liuyun left, the quiet crowd erupted into a hubbub. Discussions and exclamations rose in waves.
"Incredible! Chu Feng is not only a genius, but he also has Zhuge Liuyun as his Master! Who would dare mess with him in the future?"
This was absolutely huge news. Chu Feng was a genius who could kill Wu Jiu, a Yuan Martial Fifth Level cultivator, while he himself was only at Yuan Martial First Level. By defeating Wu Jiu, he had invisibly taken Wu Jiu's place on the Green Dragon Ranking, becoming the ninth-ranked figure.
But Chu Feng was only fifteen years old. On the Green Dragon Ranking, he was unquestionably the youngest. If everyone on the ranking was a genius, then Chu Feng was the youngest genius with the greatest potential. After all, achieving victory while being weaker and crossing four whole cultivation levels to defeat an opponent was something even Gong Luyun couldn't do.
Moreover, Chu Feng wasn't just a genius; behind him stood a powerful backer—the very person the Sect Master of the Azure Dragon Sect wouldn't dare offend, the generation's Spirit World Master, Zhuge Liuyun.
From this day forward, everyone in the Azure Dragon Sect had to re-evaluate Chu Feng. After all, his talent was so terrifying. In less than two months, he had gone from Spirit Martial Seventh Level to Yuan Martial First Level. Who knew what level he would reach in ten months, during the one-year duel?
With his heaven-defying combat strength, perhaps during that one-year duel, he could truly withstand three moves from Gong Luyun. And according to their agreement, as long as Chu Feng could block three moves, he would be considered the winner. And then Gong Luyun would have to kill himself.
Previously, people thought Chu Feng challenging Gong Luyun was seeking death, with zero chance of success. But after today, they realized that this duel now held significant suspense. Who would win and who would lose remained unknown.
While everyone in the Core Area was discussing Chu Feng, he himself had been brought by Zhuge Liuyun to his ancient palace.
"Thank you, Master, for your help." Chu Feng bowed deeply to Zhuge Liuyun.
"Don't rush to call me Master yet. How is your comprehension of the book I gave you?"
Zhuge Liuyun's aura suddenly turned cold, utterly devoid of its previous gentleness. The feeling was such that if Chu Feng failed to meet his requirements, Zhuge Liuyun might truly kill him.
However, Chu Feng was already brimming with confidence. How could he fear failing to meet Zhuge Liuyun's requirements? With a thought, his qi surged outward, and four streams of barrier power materialized, enveloping both himself and Zhuge Liuyun.
After doing this, Chu Feng smiled and said, "Master, how is my comprehension?"
--- ps: The bee has to make a trip tomorrow. I'll be staying in Jinan for two days, then head to Beijing to attend the author's annual meeting. I probably won't be able to return home until the evening of the 19th. My schedule during this time is packed, so writing time will be very limited, but the bee will still try to release two chapters every day. After the annual meeting concludes, I will make it up to everyone with my update speed.
Thank you to all my friends who are concerned about the bee's health. My unreliable little body has caused everyone worry, but now I'm mostly fine. After some recuperation, I'll still be a tough, unyielding man. After the annual meeting, I'll show everyone what a hardworking bee can do. And that time will also bring the first major climax of this book. I guarantee it will make you feel exhilarated!