"I object."
Suddenly, a voice rang out from the direction of the Nine Dragon Phenomenon Ridge.
It was
In his fury, reason had abandoned him. And so, he spoke.
He openly questioned Wuming Ken's decision before the assembled crowd.
Wuming Ken turned his gaze toward Linghu Tiemian. Rather than growing angry, his tone was remarkably calm. "Give me your reasoning."
"Even if this is deemed a draw, the one who fought Linghu Hongfei to a standstill was that spirit, not Chu Feng himself! Chu Feng relied on an outsider's power — what right does he have to be placed on equal footing with Linghu Hongfei?"
Linghu Tiemian's voice was loud, resonant, and brimming with conviction.
It was almost as if he were the embodiment of justice, denouncing an unjust verdict.
"An outsider's power?"
"Mm, that's a fair point."
Wuming Ken nodded, then addressed Linghu Tiemian. "Tell you what — if you can seal someone stronger than both Linghu Hongfei and Chu Feng within your spiritual world, then have them obey your commands and fight on your behalf, I'll grant you the title of number one among the Ancestral Martial Ten Stars. How does that sound?"
"..."
The moment those words left Wuming Ken's lips, Linghu Tiemian was struck speechless.
Finding someone stronger than himself to fight on his behalf? Given his status, that would be easy enough.
But having someone stronger than himself enter his spiritual world? That was something he simply could not do. After all, he was also a Spirit World Master — he knew full well that the only beings capable of entering one's spiritual world were spirits.
And summoning a spirit more powerful than himself? That was an incredibly difficult task, one he was incapable of achieving, let alone summoning one that surpassed both Chu Feng and Linghu Hongfei. That was simply an impossibility.
"The power of a Spirit World Master comes down to two things: barrier arts, and the summoning of spirits."
"When exactly did summoning a spirit become 'relying on an outsider'?"
"If summoning spirits doesn't count as one's own strength, then you'd best stop using your Heavenly Bloodline too. No martial skills, no weapons — better yet, don't use any martial force at all." Wuming Ken's voice began to turn sharp, growing louder and louder.
It boomed like rolling thunder, shaking the very void.
Under such pressure, Linghu Tiemian was once again rendered mute. It wasn't that he feared Wuming Ken — if he truly feared the man enough, he would never have issued his challenge in the first place, no matter how blinded by anger he was.
The reason he could not retort was simply that he had no counterargument.
"I know that many of you are unhappy with the result — with Chu Feng ranked first." Suddenly, Wuming Ken shifted his gaze to address the younger generation assembled below.
And those young cultivators did not even dare to meet his eyes. No one was willing to offend such a towering figure.
"But you need to understand — when you used supreme treasures to enhance your cultivation, I said nothing about it being cheating. Do you know why?"
"That's because mastering those treasures requires a certain level of strength. Not just anyone can do it."
"Those lacking in ability, even with a supreme treasure in hand, would be unable to unleash its power."
"So supreme treasures are no different from weapons. As long as you can wield them, I'll turn a blind eye."
"Even when that shameless wretch used a secret treasure to ambush another — I still said nothing at that time."
Suddenly, Wuming Ken pointed a finger directly at Linghu Tiemian.
Linghu Tiemian's expression turned ugly.
Because using a secret treasure to ambush Chu Feng was indeed a despicable act — and he knew it well.
No one had pressed the matter, so he had long since forgotten about it. But now, having it publicly called out by Wuming Ken, he was overcome with shame.
"You can wield supreme treasures without it being considered a violation, but when Chu Feng uses his own ability to summon a spirit more powerful than himself — what's wrong with that?" Wuming Ken declared, his voice ringing across the vast crowd.
The enormous sea of onlookers fell deathly silent…
But Wuming Ken had no intention of letting the matter rest. His gaze once again settled on Linghu Tiemian.
"Linghu Tiemian, do you know why I didn't pursue the matter when you used that secret treasure to harm someone and break the rules?" Wuming Ken asked.
"Because this junior wished to give me a chance to reform." Linghu Tiemian hurriedly replied, his voice trembling ever so slightly.