Seeing this, Chu Feng felt a warmth stir in his chest. Qiu Zhu had already secured first place — had she entered directly, she would have gained an immediate advantage. Yet she hadn't done that. Instead, she had blocked the entrance, fighting to secure benefits on his behalf.
Regardless of how she had acted before, her actions at this moment genuinely moved Chu Feng. It made him realize that while Qiu Zhu was different from Chunwu, she was also completely unlike Xia Yu and Dong Xue.
"Miss Qiu Zhu, what you're saying isn't right. You claim this Gestation Palace was discovered and opened by Wuqing, but do you have any proof?" Zhan Feng asked self-righteously.
"Just now, Junior Brother Wuqing — or rather, I should say — precisely predicted the time when this pillar of light would disappear. And you yourselves admitted that Junior Brother Wuqing and Junior Sister Chunwu were the first to arrive here. Isn't that proof enough?" Qiu Zhu rebutted.
"They may have arrived before me, but what does that prove? Perhaps they were just lucky and happened to be closer to this place?"
"Furthermore, he may have correctly predicted when the Gestation Palace would open, but who can guarantee he didn't receive some kind of tip simply because he got here first?"
"If this place was truly opened by him, why wait for us to arrive? He could have just opened the entrance and gone straight inside, couldn't he? Tell me, everyone — am I right?" Zhan Feng declared in a loud voice.
"You're absolutely right!" The moment he finished, the crowd nodded in agreement. The members of the Exalted Heavenly Domain, in particular, shouted their agreement so loudly their voices rang across the area.
"You're twisting logic and biting the hand that fed you!" Chunwu roared, her face flushed with fury. As one of the people who had opened this place, seeing everyone act so ungratefully was more than she could stomach.
"Don't be angry, Miss Chunwu. If you want us to believe that you and Wuqing opened this place, then fine — go ahead and open another entrance. If you can do that, we'll believe you. But honestly, if you truly had that ability, why would you need to compete with us for these ten spots?" Zhan Feng said with heavy sarcasm.
"That's right. If you really had the ability, go open another one yourselves. Don't come here and fight us for these ten spots." Almost everyone present had been roused by Zhan Feng's words.
During the time Qiu Zhu had sealed the entrance, nearly everyone in the area had gathered here. Once Qiu Zhu removed her sealing barrier, virtually all of them would have a chance to enter. So who would be willing to give up two spots? That would be tantamount to reducing their own odds of getting inside.
"Qiu Zhu, Chunwu, stop this nonsense. The capable shall prevail — that's how it works. This sort of thing doesn't go to whoever arrives first. Besides, when there are benefits on the line, who would give up their own chance?"
"Don't forget — the survival of the fittest is the law of the martial cultivation world. Morality and righteousness won't put anyone above anyone else." At that moment, Xia Yu spoke up, though she was siding with Zhan Feng.
"Mm, Miss Xia Yu is the only one who sees reason," Zhan Feng applauded, then raised his voice again. "How about this: since the four of you — Chunwu, Qiu Zhu, Xia Yu, and Dong Xue — are the masters of this Floating Clouds Heavenly Peak, I'll grant you four of the ten spots."
"As for the remaining six, they naturally go to the strongest people here. And when it comes to the strongest, I don't think anyone here would argue that anyone can surpass the people of my Exalted Heavenly Domain." As Zhan Feng spoke, his narrowed gaze swept across the crowd, carrying an unmistakable undercurrent of threat.
"This..." The crowd was angry but dared not speak. No one had expected that a single speech from Zhan Feng could snatch away everyone's chance in one fell swoop.
Moreover, all three rank five Martial Lords present belonged to Floating Clouds Heavenly Peak and the Exalted Heavenly Domain. Anyone who dared to defy them could imagine the consequences. So despite the raging fire burning in every heart, heads dropped in silence, tacitly accepting Zhan Feng's arrangement.
"You—" Seeing how Zhan Feng had, in just a few sentences, locked in the ten spots and completely excluded Chu Feng, Chunwu was so angry her face turned crimson. She was about to say something more.
"Senior Sister Chunwu, forget it. Once we're inside the Gestation Palace, there will inevitably be a scramble for resources. With my strength, going in would be useless. Rather than me taking up one of the spots, it would be better for you to go in on my behalf," Chu Feng transmitted to her privately.
Looking at Chu Feng, who wore a calm smile with not the slightest fluctuation in his emotions, Chunwu swallowed the words on her tip of her tongue and transmitted back: "Don't worry, Junior Brother Wuqing. I will definitely get the Martial Mark Fairy Lotus for you."
"Heh. Senior Sister Chunwu, Senior Sister Qiu Zhu — thank you both for fighting for a chance on my behalf. I, Wuqing, will remember today's kindness."
"However, the Gestation Palace carries its own risks. If you trust me, then before you see a large number of Martial Marks, don't be the first to act. And don't try to seize any early advantage," Chu Feng transmitted, sending this message only to Qiu Zhu and Chunwu.
After hearing Chu Feng's transmission, both women nodded. Qiu Zhu then withdrew the sealing barrier she had set up. Having reached this point, she had no choice but to compromise.
After that, the four beauties of Floating Clouds Heavenly Peak — Chunwu, Qiu Zhu, Xia Yu, and Dong Xue — along with six members of the Exalted Heavenly Domain, including Murong Wan, Ya Fei, and Zhan Feng, entered the Gestation Palace together. And the moment the tenth person stepped through, the entrance to the Gestation Palace closed instantly, as if it had never existed at all. Golden mist once again filled the area.
"Sigh, what kind of world is this? That Zhan Feng was far too overbearing."
"Brother Wuqing, we truly feel for you. This place was clearly your discovery — how could they go in and reap all the benefits?"
After the Gestation Palace entrance closed, many of the people who had previously been shouting that they didn't believe Chu Feng had opened this place now had the shameless audacity to voice grievances on his behalf.
"Well, this is actually a good thing. With all those people gone, there are far fewer powerful competitors left in the Martial Mark Fairy Realm. Capturing Martial Marks will be much easier for us."
"That's true. Brother Wuqing, care to travel with us?"
Gao Xiong and the others even invited Chu Feng to join them, but Chu Feng could tell that their sympathy was hardly genuine — they were only offering a superficial display of pity.
As for these fair-weather opportunists, Chu Feng couldn't even be bothered to speak to them. He simply returned a thin smile, then paid them no further attention, filing away every bit of their behavior today. These people would never become Chu Feng's friends.
"In that case, Brother Wuqing, we'll meet again someday." With that, Gao Xiong and his group departed. In a short while, this once-bustling fringe area was left with only Chu Feng.
And after everyone had gone, Chu Feng, still wearing that faint smile, walked up to the now-sealed entrance and chuckled softly. "You shameless lot — did you really think you could kick me out like that? I'll show you soon enough who the true beneficiary of this Gestation Palace really is."