The reason they said "before Chu Feng arrived" was because once Chu Feng showed up, people discovered that his cultivation actually surpassed Chu Hongyi's — and not by a small margin either.
For that reason, Chu Feng had become a contender for the leadership of the Chu Heavenly Clan within this Ancestral Martial Cultivation World.
Presumably, Chu Hongyi had also realized this, which was why he raised the topic at a time like this.
If Chu Hongyi had brought this up before, there might have still been people thinking about recommending Chu Feng.
But now, with the appearance of the Immortal River and the precious opportunity to cultivate, this truly put everyone in a difficult position.
"Brother Hongyi, you've always been our leader," someone suddenly spoke up, and from the very first words, they cemented Chu Hongyi's position as leader.
Faced with a cultivation opportunity, he chose to compromise without hesitation.
"That's right, Brother Hongyi, why would you say something like that? You're clearly our leader."
"Exactly, Brother Hongyi. You've led us through so many things. When it comes to merit, you should be the one leading us. If it were anyone else, I wouldn't accept it."
After that, more and more people began to declare their stance in support of Chu Hongyi.
One was Chu Hongyi, whom they had relied on for a long time. The other was Chu Feng, who had just arrived, whom they barely knew, and whom they had even offended just yesterday.
For the Chu Heavenly Clan members who had been cultivating in the Ancestral Martial Cultivation World for so long, this choice was not a difficult one.
"Good. Since everyone trusts me, Chu Hongyi, then I will absolutely take on this responsibility. I will never let any of you down."
"Of course, those who don't trust me, Chu Hongyi, need not follow me. It would only hold them back."
When Chu Hongyi said this, he deliberately looked toward Chu Feng, Chu Qing, and the others who had arrived with Chu Feng.
This was his way of demanding their submission — otherwise he would not bring them along to find the location of the Immortal River.
However, when faced with Chu Hongyi's gaze, not only did Chu Qing and Chu Shuangshuang ignore him, but even Chu Haoyan and Chu Huanyu — those two who harbored hatred toward Chu Feng — paid him no mind.
Although they hated Chu Feng, when it came to a cultivation opportunity, they were not about to let it slip.
Moreover, before coming here, the Chu Heavenly Clan's Clan Chief had already spoken to them about this very matter, and they had promised to set aside their grudge with Chu Feng.
Even though they still hated Chu Feng deep down, at the very least they couldn't show it too obviously on the surface.
Weighing both options, they chose to follow Chu Feng.
"It seems the new arrivals don't trust me very well. In that case, you don't need to follow me." Chu Hongyi sneered, his words dripping with menace.
However, faced with Chu Hongyi's threats, Chu Qing and the others remained entirely unfazed.
This put Chu Hongyi in a foul mood, and he turned his gaze toward Chu Ping, who was standing with Chu Feng and the others.
"Chu Ping, do you also refuse to trust me?" Chu Hongyi barked.
"Brothers, this Immortal River cultivation opportunity is truly rare. And Hongyi's predictions have always been very accurate, so..." Chu Ping hurriedly spoke up, trying to persuade Chu Feng and the others not to miss this chance.
Although Chu Ping had learned from Chu Shuangshuang just how extraordinary Chu Feng's cultivation talent was, he did not know that Chu Feng's Spirit World techniques were equally heaven-defying.
For that reason, he hoped Chu Feng and the others could swallow their pride and follow Chu Hongyi for now.
In Chu Ping's view, they were all family. It didn't matter who served as leader — what mattered was obtaining cultivation resources and improving their cultivation. Only with progress in their cultivation would their time in the Ancestral Martial Cultivation World not be wasted.
"Brother Chu Ping, there's something I'd like to ask you," Chu Feng suddenly said, withdrawing his gaze from the sky and looking at Chu Ping beside him.
"Brother Chu Feng, what question do you have? Ask away," Chu Ping replied.
"Is it true that the area we can currently move around in is limited to our own territory?" Chu Feng asked.
"Some cultivation resources are shared, but resources like the Immortal River that appear randomly — we can indeed only search for them within our own territory. We cannot enter another's territory. If we do, there will be trouble," Chu Ping said.
"Then, Brother Chu Ping, could you tell me how large our Chu Heavenly Clan's current territory is, and where exactly it's located?" Chu Feng asked.
"Of course, that's no problem. Actually, I should have told you yesterday. This is something you all need to know." After saying this, Chu Ping began to explain to Chu Feng the current territorial boundaries of the Chu Heavenly Clan within the Ancestral Martial Cultivation World.
And Chu Feng was a Spirit World Master, with exceptional comprehension. So after hearing Chu Ping's explanation, he immediately understood the full extent of the area they could currently operate in.
"Why is our Chu Heavenly Clan's territory in the Ancestral Martial Cultivation World so small?" Chu Feng's brow furrowed slightly, a flash of displeasure rising in his eyes.
Although he had already guessed that the Chu Heavenly Clan's territory in the Ancestral Martial Cultivation World was not impressive, he hadn't expected it to be so much smaller than he had anticipated.