"So does that mean it's actually true?"
"Oh my, that was way too close. If something had really happened to Miss Qiuzhu, the Piaomiao Fairy would have been furious."
"Exactly. Observation Master Wuya, you really should be thanking this Wuqing friend. If he hadn't turned the situation around today, your prized disciple would have been in serious trouble." After hearing what the old Centipede woman had to say, everyone looked at Chu Feng in a new light. Some even went so far as to urge Observation Master Wuya to thank Chu Feng.
"I always thought Observation Master Wuya's barrier technique was already impressive, but now it seems that this Wuqing friend's master must be even stronger — otherwise, how could he have learned such outstanding barrier technique?" Some even began praising Chu Feng and putting down Observation Master Wuya.
This dramatic reversal made Observation Master Wuya's face grow uglier and uglier. He never could have imagined that the man who had intended to make things difficult for Chu Feng and vent anger on behalf of his own disciple would, with just a few words from Chu Feng, find both himself and his disciple humiliated before everyone.
So at this moment, he was truly gritting his teeth in fury, rage boiling over. He no longer cared about the reactions of the crowd, pointing at Chu Feng and snorting coldly: "So what if your barrier technique is impressive? The selection is decided by martial cultivation, not barrier technique. Do you think you can rely on barrier technique to defeat other martial cultivators and pass the selection?"
"Heh. Observation Master Wuya, that's an interesting thing to say. I didn't expect that as a Spirit World Master yourself, you would look down on Spirit World Masters like that!" Chu Feng smiled and shook his head, though the sarcasm in his words was unmistakable.
"That's right. What's wrong with being a Spirit World Master? Spirit World Masters are dragons among men, and their Mental Power is a gift from heaven. Among martial cultivators, those who possess Mental Power will absolutely outshine those who don't."
"Exactly. A powerful Spirit World Master can summon equally powerful spirits. Some Spirit World Masters' spirits are even stronger than themselves. The legendary great Spirit World Masters could summon entire spirit armies and, single-handedly, hold off tens of thousands of troops. How could ordinary martial cultivators compare to that kind of combat power?"
There were quite a few Spirit World Masters present, and Chu Feng's words struck a chord with many of them, once again pushing Observation Master Wuya into an utterly wretched position.
"Everyone, please don't misunderstand. It's not that I look down on Spirit World Masters. As a Spirit World Master myself, how could I not know how powerful they are?"
"But a Spirit World Master's strength is also tied to their own cultivation level. I refuse to believe that this Wuqing can defeat martial cultivators far above him with nothing but a first-rank Martial Lord cultivation."
"If it weren't for the fact that he received the Piaomiao Immortal Token, I guarantee he would never be able to pass the selection and qualify for the Martial Emblem Wonderland." Facing the crowd's criticism, Observation Master Wuya felt the pressure, but he still refused to let Chu Feng go.
"Fine. Since Observation Master Wuya doubts my qualification so much, I suppose I can offer you a way to verify it." As Chu Feng spoke, he took out his Piaomiao Immortal Token — and then, right in front of everyone, tossed it onto the banquet table.
"I, Wuqing, will spar with Observation Master Wuya's disciple, Zhu Diguang, right here and now. If I lose, I'll willingly give up this Piaomiao Immortal Token and skip tomorrow's selection. I'll leave Piaomiao Immortal Peak today and never enter the Martial Emblem Wonderland."
"But if I win, I hope Brother Zhu Diguang will make the same choice — skip tomorrow's selection and give up the chance to enter the Martial Emblem Wonderland."
"And that," Chu Feng said, looking at Zhu Diguang, "is the price your master pays for questioning whether I, Wuqing, am qualified to enter the Martial Emblem Wonderland."
"Whoooa—!" The moment these words left his lips, a massive uproar erupted. Everyone's gaze toward Chu Feng grew complicated. They never imagined he would have such boldness, but there was no denying it — his sheer courage alone was enough to make them look at him in a whole new light.
Xia Yu, Dong Xue, and Qiuzhu in particular, after everything they had witnessed — watching Chu Feng single-handedly, with nothing but a few words, not only defuse a dangerous situation but also humiliate a figure like Observation Master Wuya into becoming the one being interrogated by the crowd — their admiration for Chu Feng only deepened. Even though his cultivation was still far weaker than theirs, they could all see that he was no ordinary person. At the very least, this kind of composure was something even they didn't possess.
"Junior Brother Wuqing, please don't act on impulse! If you can't enter the Martial Emblem Wonderland, who will save Miss Yan Ruyu?" At this moment, Jiang Wanshi's expression changed drastically. She tugged at Chu Feng's sleeve and urged him through a voice transmission.
But Chu Feng completely ignored Jiang Wanshi, instead continuing to address Zhu Diguang: "Well? Don't you dare?"
"Diguang!" Observation Master Wuya, too, flew into a rage and bellowed at Zhu Diguang, who was standing there in a daze.
Because at this moment, Chu Feng wasn't just challenging Zhu Diguang — he was challenging Observation Master Wuya himself. If Zhu Diguang refused, it wouldn't only be his own face being lost, but also the face of his master.
"Uh…"
Only after hearing his master's roar did Zhu Diguang snap back to reality. Honestly, he was a bit scared. After all, he had heard that Chu Feng possessed some special ability that let him see through the Shifting Star Map — something even his own elder brother couldn't decipher. So instinctively, he felt that Chu Feng was no ordinary person, certainly not like a typical first-rank Martial Lord.
If given the choice, he would have refused outright. But under his master's threatening glare, he didn't dare back down. He had to grit his teeth and say to Chu Feng: "You want to fight? Then let's fight. Do you think I, Zhu Diguang, am afraid of you?"
The instant Zhu Diguang finished speaking, a wild gust of wind erupted where Chu Feng had been standing. When they looked again, Chu Feng was gone — and now stood high above in the star-filled sky, pointing down at Zhu Diguang below: "I await your guidance!"
"Hmph." Despite his uncertainty, this kind of provocation from Chu Feng only made Zhu Diguang furious enough to give it everything he had. With a cold snort, he soared into the air.
At the same time, he unleashed not only his second-rank Martial Lord aura but also an extremely powerful martial technique.
Whoosh whoosh whoosh!
Martial force condensed into a technique, transforming into a sky full of fireballs. Flames surged and streaked across the night sky like a meteor shower in reverse — not only dazzlingly beautiful, lighting up the heavens, but also awe-inspiring, containing terrifying power.
"Amazing skill! To be able to unleash a technique like that under these circumstances — truly a worthy disciple of Observation Master Wuya." Seeing this martial technique, all the younger generation present exclaimed in admiration, and even the elder experts gave slight nods of approval.
But unlike those onlookers who were simply enjoying the show, Chun Wu, Xia Yu, Qiuzhu, Dong Xue, and Jiang Wanshi furrowed their brows and broke into a cold sweat for Chu Feng. Because they could all tell that this strike from Zhu Diguang was no ordinary move — it was an Eighth-rank Martial Art!!!