"Alright, even if we ignore him, we still need to go in. Come on, let's stop standing around like fools."
"After all, this Grand Formation Gathering has a time limit. If we miss it, that won't do," a woman urged.
"Let's head in as well," Elder Ning Shuang said.
And so, Xu Yiyi and Chu Feng, along with the rest of the group, made their way toward the formation gate together.
As they walked, the others chatted and laughed, which helped ease Xu Yiyi's lingering anger considerably. A sweet smile had returned to her pretty face.
But as they drew closer, the expressions on Xu Yiyi's face shifted. It wasn't just her — many others in the crowd wore the same look of surprise.
That Jiang Hao had clearly arrived long ago, yet he hadn't entered the formation gate first. Instead, he was standing there, waiting for Xu Yiyi and Chu Feng to catch up.
"Yiyi, watch closely and see how someone with real talent conquers this teleportation gate."
"Chu Feng, you watch too. Today I'll show you that mastering the art of grand formations requires genuine ability, not cutting corners."
Jiang Hao shouted these words at the top of his lungs, so not only did Xu Yiyi and Chu Feng hear them — everyone present did as well.
In an instant, all eyes turned toward Xu Yiyi, Chu Feng, and their group.
"This bastard really has it coming," Xu Yiyi fumed, rolling up her sleeves and preparing to march over and teach Jiang Hao a lesson.
Hummm—
But in that very moment, Jiang Hao stepped into the formation array, clearly giving Xu Yiyi no chance to strike.
Boom—
Yet in the next second, Jiang Hao's body was flung back out of the formation. He couldn't keep his footing and crumpled to the ground in a heap.
And at that point, the invitation token in his hand had vanished as well.
"Ahahaha!!!"
Before Chu Feng and the others could even react, the surrounding crowd erupted into uproarious laughter.
How embarrassing. Truly, embarrassingly humiliating.
If he had simply entered quietly and been sent flying back out, no one would have mocked him. But he had strutted around making grand claims beforehand — and then to be ejected from the formation like that? The humiliation was on another level entirely.
"Damn it, this teleportation formation must be defective! How could someone like me — a prodigy of formation arts — possibly fail to get through?" Jiang Hao's face flushed crimson as he bellowed in frustration.
"Jiang Hao, that's enough. Haven't you embarrassed yourself enough?" Elder Ning Shuang snapped in an unhappy tone.
It was clear that Elder Ning Shuang held considerable standing within Luoxia Valley. Once she spoke up, Jiang Hao didn't dare say another word. He slunk over to where Chu Feng and the others stood, not even daring to lift his head.
"So, Jiang Hao — that was your 'real talent'?" Though Jiang Hao had gone silent, Xu Yiyi was not about to let him off the hook and kept right on mocking him.
"Yiyi, fine, I didn't get in. But if even I couldn't get in, then Chu Feng won't be getting in either," Jiang Hao said.
"And if Chu Feng does get in, what then?" Xu Yiyi pressed.
"If he gets in, I'll apologize to him publicly and acknowledge him as my big brother," Jiang Hao said.
"Don't make me laugh — you're decades older than Chu Feng. Why would you pretend to be younger and call yourself his little brother?" Xu Yiyi said with undisguised contempt.
"Then — then I'll apologize publicly and admit that I, Jiang Hao, am not his equal," Jiang Hao said.
"That's not nearly enough. Since you're so convinced that Chu Feng is beneath you, you should be willing to raise the stakes," Xu Yiyi pressed, refusing to let it go.