From the surface, this token looked quite simple—almost crude. It was carved from black wood with no elaborate trim along the edges. On the back, four characters read "Four Seas Academy," while the front bore just two: "Tai Kou."
Though the token resembled nothing more than a wooden chip, Chu Feng immediately recognized that it was far from ordinary. A formation was inscribed within—one of a kind, capable of verifying the token's authenticity.
More than that, it served as a mark of identity, representing Tai Kou himself. That was why Chu Feng felt that with this token in hand, entering the Ancient City of a Thousand Years should pose no problem.
Reflecting on the fact that he and Tai Kou had only met once, yet the old man had helped him without any conditions, Chu Feng felt genuinely grateful. He bowed deeply to Tai Kou and said, "Thank you for your assistance, Senior. This kindness is one this junior will never forget."
"Haha, I helped you without expecting anything in return. Your words are enough—now go on. Those little ones outside seem awfully worried about you." Tai Kou laughed and waved his hand, then closed his half-lidded eyes and resumed puffing on his large pipe.
"Then this junior will take his leave." Chu Feng didn't delay. He bowed once more and turned to leave.
"Chu Feng, how did it go?" Sure enough, just as Tai Kou had said, as soon as Chu Feng stepped out of the hut, Su Mei and the others rushed over. They hadn't gone far and had been hovering nearby the whole time—proof of how worried they had truly been.
"Even smoother than I expected," Chu Feng said with a smile, holding up the token.
"Oh my God, he actually helped you? That's Tai Kou's personal identity token! With that, you can basically stroll through Four Seas Academy like you own the place—nobody would dare stop you!" Seeing the token in Chu Feng's hand, Jiang Wushuang exclaimed in shock.
"Junior Brother Chu Feng, I have to say, I admire you more and more. You managed to handle Tai Kou that easily. He must really think highly of you." Zhang Tianyi's face was full of envy. Earning Tai Kou's favor was no simple feat.
"Haha, this is great! I get to enter the Ancient City of a Thousand Years with Chu Feng! Yay!!!" Su Mei, who had always been spirited and mischievous, was now bouncing with joy. Even though she was fast outgiving the age of girlhood, the young woman was as lively, adorable, and innocent as ever.
In truth, it wasn't just Su Mei who was happy—Su Rou and Zhang Tianyi were equally delighted.
But the happiest of all was undoubtedly Jiang Wushuang. After receiving hundreds of martial medicines from Chu Feng and breaking through two consecutive cultivation levels with his help, he had grown increasingly convinced of Chu Feng's true strength.
So, having already placed great hopes on the expedition to the Ancient City of a Thousand Years, his confidence had only surged after confirming that Chu Feng could get them through.
The next day, Chu Feng set out with Jiang Wushuang and the other three, heading toward the location of the Ancient City of a Thousand Years.
The ancient city was situated deep within a primordial forest. Normally the forest was sealed off, so Chu Feng and his companions had to wait outside, anticipating the arrival of an elder to open the passage.
When they reached the gathering spot, they found that four figures had already assembled—three men and one woman. The three men were at the fifth level of Heaven Martial, while the woman stood at the fourth level of Heaven Martial. All of them were closed-door disciples of other Heaven-class instructors.
Su Rou and the others hadn't bothered to conceal their strength. After all, once inside the Ancient City of a Thousand Years, their true cultivation would inevitably be exposed. Rather than shocking everyone later, it was better to make certain people wary of them from the start.
"What's going on? Since when did Su Rou and the others become this strong?"
"Su Rou and Su Mei are actually at the seventh level of Heaven Martial—equal in cultivation to Blue Rouge!"
"And that Zhang Tianyi is at the eighth level of Heaven Martial! He's even surpassed Blue Rouge and matched Wang Yue's cultivation. That's incredible!"