"He withdrew?" Chu Feng was surprised.
"Yeah. He just did the ancestor worship, and then he said his cultivation was too weak, that the following assessments weren't suitable for him, so he withdrew directly," Xiao Yueya said.
"So he just left like that?" Chu Feng asked.
"Mm-hm, he just walked away. At the time, his cultivation really was pretty weak, so none of us from the Ancient World thought much of it."
"But looking back on it, if he had continued with the assessments, he might have passed. After all, his talent was incredible, and our Ancient World's assessments don't necessarily require high cultivation to pass."
"Uncle has felt regretful about it ever since."
"Hm? Come to think of it, big brother, you look a bit like Chu Xuanyan."
"Not just a bit — the more I look, the more alike you two seem." Xiao Yueya's gaze kept flickering back and forth between Chu Feng and the portrait of his father.
"Big brother, you really don't know this Chu Xuanyan?" Xiao Yueya asked.
Chu Feng shook his head. He didn't tell the truth — not because he wanted to deceive Xiao Yueya, but because the child spoke without thinking, and he was afraid she might let something slip. The reason he wouldn't admit it was that he sensed something odd. His father had clearly come to the Ancient World for some benefit, so why had he left right after the ancestor worship ceremony? There had to be a reason. Until he figured out what that reason was, Chu Feng didn't want to reveal to anyone that he was Chu Xuanyuan's son. He had already realized that this Ancient World was a place of conflict — the infighting alone was proof enough that things were far from peaceful.
"Then why does your Ancient World care so much about that assessment?" Chu Feng asked again.
"Because everyone in our Ancient World is trapped here. That assessment was so special that they thought maybe it could set us free." Xiao Yueya puffed her cheeks. "But I think the adults are overthinking it. How could our Ancient World's freedom be changed by outsiders?"
"Aiya, sometimes the adults just don't think straight. Not as smart as me."
"Big brother, don't you think I'm right?" Xiao Yueya asked proudly.
"I think Xiao Yueya is absolutely right." Chu Feng smiled. Over the course of their journey, he continued chatting with her. The girl talked a lot, but it was never annoying. Her blend of maturity beyond her years and pure childish innocence made her endearing.
…
On the main city's plaza, the various delegations had already begun arriving. The crowds around the square were packed shoulder to shoulder.
Zhou Dong of the Azure Moon Divine Hall.
Qin Shu of the Firmament Immortal Sect.
Jia Chengying of the Alchemy Immortal Sect.
Along with Bai Yunqing and the other assessment passers, they had all been led to the plaza by their respective tribes.
And they had already learned that the enormous stone stele in the center of the plaza was where they would undergo their talent testing.
They had even heard about Chu Xuanyan. After all, anyone who saw the names carved on that stele would grow curious, and the story of Chu Xuanyan wasn't exactly a forbidden secret in the Ancient World, so the locals had explained everything honestly.
"Truly strange. A person at only the Sovereign Realm actually managed to leave his name on this Test Stone?" Bai Yunqing remarked.
"Brother Bai, why worry about it? Either way, those names are going to be replaced," Jia Chengying said.
"Whatever do you mean, Brother Jia?" Bai Yunqing asked.
"Because we'll all be leaving our own names up there, replacing this Chu Xuanyan." Jia Chengying's tone was brimming with confidence.
Hearing this, Bai Yunqing also smiled with quiet assurance. Things were different now compared to over eight hundred years ago. The visitors back then had generally lacked talent, nowhere near as impressive as their group. He was confident he could surpass Chu Xuanyan and carve his own name onto that sacred stele.
Just then, the Ancient World leader descended from the sky, and with him came the white-haired woman.
Upon seeing the white-haired woman, Bai Yunqing and the others froze. They hadn't noticed her at all before.
And compared to Bai Yunqing and the rest, Jia Chengying's expression grew even stranger — he already knew the white-haired woman. During the Ultimate Trial, he had been defeated by her. He never expected to run into her here.
"Everyone, allow me to make an introduction."
"This is Miss Xiao Bai. Although Miss Xiao Bai entered the Ancient World through the highest-difficulty assessment and is eligible to go directly to the final trial, she still needs to participate in the talent test," the Ancient World leader announced.
"She came in through the highest-difficulty assessment?"
At these words, Jia Chengying, Bai Yunqing, and the others were even more stunned. Even Zhou Dong of the Azure Moon Divine Hall and Qin Shu of the Firmament Immortal Sect began re-examining the white-haired woman. They hadn't noticed her at all before, so naturally they had no idea she had entered through the red gate. But what truly shocked them was that Jia Chengying and the others had all attempted to enter the red gate themselves — and had been driven back by its terrifying pressure.