"Oh my, the Totem Dragon Clan sure is quick-witted. If they keep this up, they're going to go far," the Queen remarked with a grin—this was not an outcome she had anticipated.
At that moment, Chu Feng was equally surprised. He had already steeled himself for punishment, only to find that not only was the Totem Dragon Clan not punishing him, but they were directly bestowing a divine weapon upon him.
Throughout his journey, Chu Feng had encountered countless powerful factions, each one like a towering mountain blocking his path.
Though every one of those mountains had long since been trampled beneath his feet.
Back then, however, those factions had posed a tremendous threat to Chu Feng, and they had almost always regarded him with arrogance and condescension.
Even those who had eventually come to view him in a favorable light had only done so after he had truly risen to prominence.
The Totem Dragon Clan's behavior was exceedingly rare.
This, in turn, caused Chu Feng to look upon the Totem Dragon Clan with renewed appreciation.
Gazing at the enticing divine weapon before him, then at Long Xu's earnest expression, Chu Feng felt even more ashamed. And so he made a decision.
"Senior, this divine weapon is something this junior cannot accept."
"While I truly had no intention of causing harm to the Totem Dragon Clan…"
"The fact remains that the great formation was damaged because of me. I am already deeply ashamed that this occurred—how could I accept such a generous gift?"
Chu Feng chose to refuse.
"Young friend Chu Feng, this matter has nothing to do with you. You must accept this divine weapon," Long Xu urged.
"Chu Feng, just take it."
"This is a divine weapon of our Totem Dragon Clan. Its value is even higher than those found outside—even in trade, you could exchange it for something far superior."
A voice transmission reached Chu Feng's ears—it was Long Suqing.
What was truly remarkable was that it was not just Long Suqing who sent a secret reminder. Even Long Kuitian transmitted a message, signaling for Chu Feng to accept the divine weapon.
And Long Chengyu simply took the weapon from Long Xu's hands and stuffed it directly into Chu Feng's arms.
"Take it, take it, Brother Chu Feng." As he spoke, Long Chengyu even gave Chu Feng a wink.
The look on his face practically screamed: if you don't take advantage of a good deal, you're a fool.
But this "deal" was literally from his own clan.
"Then this junior will respectfully accept your kind offer." The other party's attitude was both firm and sincere, so Chu Feng did not refuse again. Instead, he simply accepted the divine weapon.
Chu Feng was not the sort to be overly coy. His initial refusal had stemmed from a genuine sense of having caused trouble—he truly felt embarrassed to accept. But when the other party insisted so firmly, it was clear they genuinely wished to befriend him, and Chu Feng would not turn away their goodwill.
Though in the eyes of many, the Totem Dragon Clan was paying far too steep a price—giving away a divine weapon to befriend Chu Feng, to wager on his future.
But Chu Feng would make everyone see that the Totem Dragon Clan's divine weapon had not been given in vain. It would prove to be worth every bit of its value.
However, the clan did not publicize the gifting of the divine weapon. What they did publicly address was the matter of the Weapon Vault. They announced that the incident had been an accident and had nothing to do with Chu Feng.
This announcement sent shockwaves through the entire Totem Dragon Clan, especially among the younger generation of prodigies who had been present that day.
The general public might not have known the full truth, but those young talents had witnessed with their own eyes that the incident had been caused by Chu Feng. And precisely because of this, they came to understand the Totem Dragon Clan's stance.
Yet this stance left those young prodigies deeply bewildered—they could not fathom what sort of power Chu Feng possessed.
They could understand Long Chengyu and Long Muxi, to some degree. They were, after all, members of the younger generation—easily swayed.
But the clan's elders and high-ranking figures… surely they should not have been so easily convinced…
Following that, Lord Long Xu personally interrogated Jia Lingyi and invited Chu Feng to attend.
As for the interrogation, there was nothing particularly remarkable about it—Long Xu simply asked whether there were others within the Totem Dragon Clan who had been colluding with Jia Lingyi.
Jia Lingyi said nothing at all, wearing the expression of someone who had already accepted her fate.
The Totem Dragon Clan naturally showed her no mercy. Cruol tortures were administered on the spot, causing Jia Lingyi agonizing pain beyond endurance.
But Jia Lingyi proved to have a measure of backbone—she remained composed throughout, never once losing her dignity, even as she eventually lapsed into unconsciousness.
In the end, they could do nothing but drag her away.