"But he... he clearly knows you're a seventh rank half-Ancestor while he's a ninth rank half-Ancestor. Isn't he just bullying you outright?" Wang Qiang said.
"That's exactly why he's the type who bullies the weak and fears the strong. I've seen plenty like him. It's fine — let him be arrogant a while longer. I'll have my own way of dealing with him," Chu Feng said with a smile.
At that moment, Wang Qiang froze for a beat.
The other party had come looking for trouble with Chu Feng, hurling insults and speaking in the most offensive manner. Under normal circumstances, even if someone didn't fly into a rage, their expression would at least turn sour.
Yet Chu Feng wasn't angry in the slightest. If anything, he wore a smile on his face, as though he were a mere spectator watching an entertaining show.
This piqued Wang Qiang's curiosity. He genuinely wanted to know — given that Chu Feng's cultivation was clearly inferior to Kong Ruozeng's — how exactly Chu Feng planned to deal with the man.
With that thought, a grin spread across Wang Qiang's face too, and he gazed outward like a spectator.
"Brother Ruozeng, stop shouting. Chu Feng and Wang Qiang are honored guests of our Kong Heavenly Clan. Even the Supreme Elder treats Chu Feng with courtesy. If you keep this up and draw the attention of the elders, you'll be punished," Kong Zheng continued to urge.
Yet Kong Ruozeng paid Kong Zheng no mind whatsoever and pressed on: "Chu Feng, do you even dare to come down? Or are you really just a cowardly turtle hiding in its shell?"
Seeing that Chu Feng still refused to respond, Kong Ruozeng grew even more smug. He turned to Kong Zheng and said, "Kong Zheng, you see? This Chu Feng is nothing but a bully who picks on the soft and cowers before the hard. This is the genius you speak of? The successor of Grandmaster Kaihong? In my eyes, he's nothing but a spineless waste."
"Ha ha ha ha ha..." Having said that, Kong Ruozeng burst into triumphant laughter.
"Big Brother Ruozeng is absolutely right — this Chu Feng is a bully through and through. He seemed so impressive when he was pushing Kong Zheng around, but the moment Big Brother Ruozeng shows up, he turns into a little turtle hiding in its shell. Ha ha ha ha ha..."
At that moment, the younger generation who had come along with Kong Ruozeng were now fully convinced that Chu Feng didn't dare to come down. One by one, they laughed with undisguised mockery.
"And who says I, Chu Feng, don't dare to accept your challenge?"
Just then, the tightly shut doors of the hall suddenly swung open.
In that instant, the hall's exterior — moments ago filled with jeering laughter — fell deathly silent.
Every gaze locked onto the opened doors. Some among the crowd actually felt a stir of fear and unconsciously shrank behind Kong Ruozeng.
This went to show that not all of these people were truly courageous. Many were nothing more than bullies who relied on someone else's strength. Though they harbored dislike for Chu Feng, they could only dare to mistreat him when they had someone backing them up.
Under the weight of everyone's stares, Chu Feng and Wang Qiang emerged from the hall.
Chu Feng made no effort to conceal his cultivation, so when they sensed that he was a seventh rank half-Ancestor, the previously timid faces broke into relieved smiles — a textbook case of bullying the weak while fearing the strong.
"Chu Feng, I thought you didn't dare come out," Kong Ruozeng said to Chu Feng.
"Why wouldn't I dare?" Chu Feng countered.
"Well said. Since you've come out, I take it you're prepared to spar with me?" Kong Ruozeng asked.
"Of course I'm prepared. Let's get started," Chu Feng replied.
Hearing these words, the younger members of the Kong Heavenly Clan were visibly shocked. They hadn't expected that Chu Feng would actually dare to accept the challenge.
But at the same time, sarcastic smiles curled at the corners of their mouths, for it was as though they could already see the scene of Chu Feng being brutally thrashed by Kong Ruozeng.
And just thinking that this scene would soon unfold before their very eyes filled them with excitement. They could hardly wait to witness it.
After all, the one about to be thrashed was none other than the famously talented successor of Grandmaster Kaihong.
If there was anyone most thrilled at this moment, it was Kong Ruozeng. He was practically beaming from ear to ear as he declared in a booming voice, "Good! Straightforward! In that case, don't blame me for not holding back!"
As he spoke, he rolled up his sleeves and released the oppressive aura of his ninth rank half-Ancestor cultivation, ready to demolish Chu Feng.