"In truth, I, Han Yu, don't go out of my way to befriend just anyone."
"But Brother Chu Feng, you have earned that right."
"Your meteoric rise at the Immortal Armament Manor was impressive enough. Defeating Chu Xianshuo was one thing, but to actually claim an Immortal Armament from the manor's armory — that was truly extraordinary."
"Nowadays, you're the talk of the Upper Realm of the Grand Cosmos. Many people are saying that Chu Feng will become the next great prodigy of this realm. At the next Heavenly Pride Martial Competition, you're sure to shine brilliantly."
"You might even earn yourself a seat on the Prodigy Rankings."
"When that happens, I, Han Yu, will have to step aside." Han Yu said this with a smile directed at Chu Feng.
On the surface, it sounded like praise, but anyone clever enough could tell that Han Yu was really boasting about himself.
After all, he was the one who had already earned his name on the Prodigy Rankings.
At the same time, he was questioning whether Chu Feng could actually achieve such a ranking. In his view, Chu Feng was only a second-rank True Immortal, while he himself — despite being at the very bottom of the Prodigy Rankings — was a sixth-rank True Immortal.
There wasn't much time left before the Heavenly Pride Martial Competition — just over a year.
By any reasonable estimate, no matter how talented someone was, it was virtually impossible to grow from a second-rank True Immortal to a level worthy of the Prodigy Rankings in just one year.
"Brother Han Yu is far too modest." Chu Feng smiled faintly, then glanced around the gathering and asked, "Could someone tell me what exactly is going on here? Are we still able to enter that mountain range?"
"Young friend Chu Feng, allow me to introduce myself. I am an elder of the Sacred Pill Manor. My surname is Ma, and my given name is Ma Changchun." A white-haired elderly man stepped forward.
He had a rather distinctive appearance — short in stature but quite portly, with a jolly face reminiscent of the Laughing Buddha.
However, as he drew closer, Chu Feng's gaze shifted subtly, because this elder's strength was formidable.
In truth, many of the older generation powerhouses present would have been completely unreadable to Chu Feng had they not been deliberately releasing their cultivation aura. But even without that, Chu Feng could gauge a person's strength based on the unfathomable depth he sensed from them.
This self-proclaimed Ma Changchun was, without question, the most unfathomable person among everyone gathered here.
And he was also the strongest cultivator that the Sacred Pill Manor had sent.
"Elder Ma, it's an honor," Chu Feng said courteously, cupping his fist in greeting.
"Young friend Chu Feng, the people gathered here all arrived today."
"After we approached the mountain range, we were pulled into this location by a formation. The Ancient Serpent Clan told us only that something has changed within the Secluded Immortal Realm and that we cannot currently enter the mountain range directly — but they refused to tell us the specifics."
"So we're in the same position as you. What we know, you already know, and what you don't know, neither do we."
"But there is one thing worth mentioning. The people here are only those who arrived today. Before us, others must have come as well. Every year, when the Burial Spirit Pool is about to erupt, nearly every Spirit World Master below the rank of Robed Venerable in the entire Upper Realm tries to come here and test their luck."
"Despite the restriction of the invitation tokens, the number of people who come each year is still considerable."
"So my guess is that many people arrived before us, but they've all disappeared. Perhaps they've already entered the mountain range."
"In any case, the Ancient Serpent Clan will have to give us an explanation. They won't let us have made this trip for nothing." Elder Ma Changchun said to Chu Feng.
"Thank you for the reminder, Elder." Chu Feng cupped his fist again.
"Young friend Chu Feng is too polite." Ma Changchun chuckled, then suddenly shifted the topic and asked, "Young friend Chu Feng, are you truly not a member of the Chu Heavenly Clan?"
At that moment, every person present — including Han Yu — had a noticeable shift in expression.
It was clearly the question that everyone had been most eager to have answered.
"Though my surname is Chu, I am not a member of the Chu Heavenly Clan." Chu Feng shook his head with a smile.
His words were perfectly accurate. As things stood, he truly was not a member of the Chu Heavenly Clan — he was the discarded son they had expelled.
"Then may I ask which Upper Realm young friend Chu Feng comes from?" Ma Changchun pressed further.
The gazes of everyone around them grew even more intense.
They had all harbored their own guesses, believing that Chu Feng wouldn't have dared to act the way he did toward Chu Xianshuo if he were actually from the Chu Heavenly Clan.
The most popular speculation was that Chu Feng must have come from some other Upper Realm.
Rather than continue guessing blindly, they naturally wanted to hear it from Chu Feng's own lips.
"Chu Feng does not come from any Upper Realm. I come from the Mortal Realm." Chu Feng said.
He felt that the truth of being Chu Xuanyuan's son would have to be revealed sooner or later. Though now was not yet the time, laying a small bit of groundwork wouldn't hurt.
At the very least, he couldn't lie about it — otherwise it would be hard to explain later.
However, the moment these words left Chu Feng's mouth, every person present — whether from the younger generation or the older generation — had their expressions change dramatically.
The younger ones in particular were struck dumb, their faces a spectacle of shock.