The name Chu Feng was carved upon the banner.
Not only did it cause an uproar outside the Ruyi Ancient Castle, but the people inside the castle were completely thrown into chaos by this development.
Chu Feng had already been standing on the second level of the Talent Staircase for a full incense stick's worth of time.
Yet Chu Feng remained utterly composed, as though he were standing on an ordinary step that posed no challenge to him whatsoever.
But in reality, the aura enveloping him was so intense that even the spectators could barely withstand it upon close inspection.
Whoosh—
Yet just as the crowd was marveling at Chu Feng's feat, he leaped once more, ascending to the third level of the Talent Staircase.
The moment Chu Feng landed on the third level, a pillar of flame erupted around him.
The temperature radiating from that flame was terrifying — even from a great distance, it felt as though one might be evaporated by its heat.
Sensing the danger, even the outstanding young generation present hastily retreated, trying to put as much distance as possible between themselves and the flames.
Some even deployed barrier formations to shield themselves, protecting their bodies from the searing temperature.
But Chu Feng, standing at the center of the inferno, was not only completely unharmed — not even a thread of his clothing was damaged.
Most importantly, there was finally a change on Chu Feng's face.
His brows furrowed slightly, a trace of pain surfaced on his features, and beads of sweat appeared one after another across his forehead.
But the extent of his suffering… was only that.
How could this be?
Could the gap between people really be this vast?
The young prodigies present — all of whom had been called geniuses since childhood — found this impossible to accept.
They refused to believe that the difference between themselves and Chu Feng could be so enormous.
In truth, if Chu Feng had been grimacing in agony and barely holding on, the crowd would have been willing to accept that his talent truly was extraordinary.
But the very way Chu Feng carried himself was telling them that he was not enduring all that much pain.
The suffering that would be unbearable for anyone else was simply nothing to Chu Feng.
This staggering disparity made people start to wonder.
Was Chu Feng's talent truly heaven-defying to this extent?
Or had the Talent Staircase malfunctioned?
Whoosh—
Suddenly, another person leaped into the air.
It was a man, and he headed straight for the second level, landing firmly upon it.
His action drew nearly every pair of eyes away from Chu Feng and onto him.
He had stolen Chu Feng's spotlight.
The reason he attracted so much attention was that his challenge would provide the answer.
Whether Chu Feng's talent was truly extraordinary, or whether the Talent Staircase was flawed — the verdict would soon be revealed.
However, there was one exception: the Ruyi Elder.
The Ruyi Elder's gaze remained fixed on Chu Feng the entire time. Even though he noticed the man challenging the second level, he did not so much as glance at him.
Aghhh—!
The man suddenly let out a bloodcurdling scream.
Then his entire body tumbled from the Talent Staircase.
When he hit the ground, his skin had turned a burning red, as though he had been scalded.
He lay there, lacking even the strength to rise, but continuously retching — blood and vomit mixing together in a truly repulsive sight.
But more importantly, the man looked to be in extremely dire condition.
His state was so terrible that it seemed he might not even survive.
Yet not a single person dared to approach, because even after falling from the Talent Staircase, a white aura still lingered around the man's body.