Even though, in terms of age, Chu Xuanyuan was only a junior before the Immortal Armament Manor's Master and Elder Tuoba, his standing in the eyes of the Manor Master and Elder Tuoba was extraordinarily high.
It was so high, in fact, that it surpassed even the strongest individual in the entire Great Thousand Upper Realm — the Chu Heavenly Clan's Clan Chief.
"Being too proactive and eager would only produce the opposite effect. Rest assured, I've already done what needed to be done."
"If this Chu Feng is a man who knows gratitude, what I've done should be enough to leave a good impression on him."
"If he isn't, then no matter how much more I did, it would all be for nothing."
"Besides, the idea that this Chu Feng is Chu Xuanyuan's son is merely speculation. It hasn't been confirmed," the Immortal Armament Manor's Master said.
"The Manor Master speaks wisely." Elder Tuoba nodded.
…
Chu Feng had already left. However, since he had departed quietly, the people outside the Immortal Armament Manor were still unaware.
They were still waiting for Chu Feng, all wanting to take the opportunity to make his acquaintance.
Even though Chu Feng's cultivation, within the Great Thousand Upper Realm, could be considered extremely weak, the potential of a young man like him was immeasurable. Everyone understood Chu Feng's value.
And while they waited for Chu Feng, they continued to discuss endlessly, speculating about his identity.
Among them, some naturally wondered whether Chu Feng might be Chu Xuanyuan's son. After all, Chu Feng's name was identical to that of Chu Xuanyuan's son.
And the Divine Punishment Mystic Art was the hallmark of both Chu Xuanyuan and Chu Hanxian.
Of course, people only dared to entertain such speculation privately. No one would voice it aloud.
But regardless, from this day forward, the name Chu Feng would spread throughout the entire Great Thousand Upper Realm.
…
Word spread quickly. Even within the Chu Heavenly Clan, people had begun to learn of what had happened with Chu Feng.
Inside a luxurious palace within the Chu Heavenly Clan, Chu Xianshuo knelt on the ground, his body and face covered in bloody wounds.
The injuries were clearly fresh, inflicted by a whip.
Seated at the head of the chamber was a man.
He was a man who, under normal circumstances, was not particularly tall and was rather ugly. The reason he was described as "under normal circumstances" was because at this moment, he appeared even more hideous.
He was blind — his eyeballs were gone, as though someone had gouged them out while he was still alive.
His body was also incomplete. He had no legs, and even his hands were not whole, with only a single finger remaining on each.
This man was named Chu Kongtong.
He was the very same man who, back when he had entered the Lower Realm of Ancestral Martial through the Heavenly Path, had humiliated the Old Monkey and dug open Chu Feng's grave.
And it was precisely because of Chu Kongtong's actions that he had enraged Chu Xuanyuan, leading to the state he was in today.
After being injured by Chu Xuanyuan, Chu Kongtong had returned to the Great Thousand Upper Realm and sought countless physicians. Unfortunately, none had been able to cure him.
Now, not only was he left with a broken body, but his cultivation was far inferior to what it had once been. Not only could his cultivation not advance — it had been steadily regressing. No matter how hard he cultivated, it was useless.
His cultivation simply kept declining. He was growing weaker and weaker.
And Chu Kongtong was, in fact, Chu Xianshuo's father.
"You useless thing! You let an outsider steal first place in the hunting competition from you?"
"As a fourth-level True Immortal, you even lost to a second-level True Immortal!"
"If you still have the face to come back — if I were you, I would have just died!"
Chu Kongtong roared in fury, his whip cracking through the air as he lashed it repeatedly across Chu Xianshuo's body.
Chu Xianshuo endured the agony of the whipping in silence, remaining on his knees without a single word. He was trembling, but not from pain — from fear. It was plain to see that he was terrified of his own father.
"Oh my, what are you doing? Xianshuo is already suffering enough. You, as a father, aren't offering him any comfort — how could you pile even more pressure on him like this?"