"What? That Chu Feng is actually that powerful? Even a weapon-grade treasure couldn't stop him — isn't that practically godlike?" At these words, everyone gasped.
"Not just that — when Chu Feng escaped the Supreme Villa that day, my nephew was inside the villa."
"He saw it with his own eyes. Thirteen layers of blue barrier formations were deployed inside the Supreme Villa. Blue barrier formations — have you ever seen one?" the bald man continued.
"Of course not, but I've heard that blue barrier formations can only be laid down by blue-robed Spirit World Masters. That level of Spirit World Master is omnipotent — they can forge anything. There's nothing they can't do, only things we can't imagine. They're practically gods."
"I've heard about blue-robed Spirit World Masters too. They really are the stuff of legends. But as far as I know, on the Nine Provinces Continent, only the Spirit World Guild and the Shi Clan could possibly have people like that. Could the Supreme Villa really have one?" someone asked.
"That's right — blue-robed Spirit World Masters are truly heaven-defying. But those blue barrier formations that day weren't something an ordinary blue-robed Spirit World Master could deploy. According to my nephew, those blue barrier formations shot up from the ground and sealed off the sky — it was an incredibly majestic sight. Can you even imagine what kind of blue barrier formation that was?" the big man went on.
"Heavens — a barrier formation that sealed the sky? What kind of spectacle would that be?" Hearing this, everyone gasped again, then sat slack-jawed, apparently trying to picture what a sky-sealing barrier formation would look like.
"Forget it, don't even try. You could rack your brains and never imagine what that spectacle looked like. But I'll tell you this — even those thirteen incredibly powerful barrier formations were shattered one by one by Chu Feng."
"And there was a Heaven Martial realm expert who tried to stop Chu Feng. Chu Feng split him clean in two with a single swing of his axe." The bald man spoke with smug pride, painting the scene with vivid detail, as though he had witnessed it all firsthand.
"A Heaven Martial realm expert was killed by Chu Feng in a single axe strike? Don't tell me that axe is the weapon-grade treasure — the Asura Ghost Axe?" Everyone's jaws dropped, practically hitting the floor in shock.
"It must be the Asura Ghost Axe, no doubt about it. But even a weapon-grade treasure has its limits. The fact that Chu Feng could wield a weapon-grade treasure to kill a Heaven Martial realm expert and shatter blue barrier formations — what does that tell you? It tells you that Chu Feng is truly formidable. He's a real genius — a freak among geniuses," the bald man said with a look of admiration.
"If what you're saying is true, then Chu Feng didn't secretly steal the Asura Ghost Axe by poisoning the elders of those great powers..."
"He took it openly and boldly! The elders of several great powers joined forces to stop him and still failed — some were even killed by Chu Feng — and he broke through thirteen layers of sky-sealing barrier formations?" the crowd asked in unison.
"Of course! My nephew saw it all with his own eyes. Every word is the absolute truth," the bald man declared.
"Oh, come on. How is that possible? If what you say is true, then Chu Feng is basically a god. Why would he need to hide?" However, the crowd didn't take the man's words seriously. They dispersed, returning to their tables to continue eating and drinking.
"Hmph, a bunch of ignorant fools. Talking to you people is a complete waste of breath."
Seeing this, the bald man grew irritated. He had spent all this time spitting and sputtering through his story, and nobody believed a word of it. It was infuriating. So he turned to his two brothers and asked, "Second Brother, Third Brother — do you two believe me?"
"Hey, big bro, don't blame me for bursting your bubble, but that story's a bit far-fetched. Chu Feng is just a sixteen-year-old kid. How could he possibly be that strong?" said the swarthy big man with a grin.
"Exactly, big bro. Your nephew must have been pulling your leg." The other one echoed with a similar grin, and as if afraid of angering the bald man, he poured him a cup of wine as he spoke.
"Forget it. The truth is always hard for people to accept. Only a wise man like myself can tell fact from fiction."
Seeing that even his own brothers didn't believe him, the bald man downed a bowl of wine and let out a long sigh, looking every bit the lonely sage. It was clear he truly believed everything his nephew had told him — that Chu Feng was every bit as incredible as described.
"Gentlemen, come in, please, come right in!"
Just then, an old man who looked like an innkeeper rushed in, his face plastered with an apologetic smile, clearly flustered. If one looked closely, they would notice his entire body was trembling, as though something had terrified him.
Behind him followed eighteen men. Most of them appeared middle-aged, though a few looked like young men. Every one of them radiated an extraordinary aura — all of them were Xuan Martial realm experts.
"So those are disciples of the Yuan Gang Sect." Chu Feng slightly lifted the brim of his bamboo hat, revealing a pair of sharp eyes. From their clothing, he recognized where they were from.
"You — get out of the way." After entering the tavern, one of the Yuan Gang Sect disciples pointed at the three big men sitting at the largest table and barked the order.
The three big men didn't dare show even a hint of hesitation. Bowing and smiling apologetically at the Yuan Gang Sect disciple, they quickly vacated their seats.
At this moment, many people were frightened. Though they couldn't identify these eighteen men, they could feel how dangerous they were. Some patrons quietly stood up, trying to sneak away.
"All of you — sit down." But just then, the apparent leader of the Yuan Gang Sect disciples shouted.
His shout terrified many of those who had risen from their seats. They scrambled back down, and even the waiters and the innkeeper hurriedly found empty seats to sit in.
"We are core disciples of the Yuan Gang Sect. We happened to pass through here today and decided to rest for a while. There's no need to be afraid — eat and drink as you please. But don't you dare leave. I enjoy a lively atmosphere when I eat, and the more people, the better. If anyone dares to ruin my mood, don't blame me for being unpleasant," the Yuan Gang Sect disciple declared.
At these words, virtually everyone fell silent and buried their heads in their food, trembling.
As it happened, the tavern was nearly full with very few empty seats, so in their haste the three big men ended up sitting at Chu Feng's table.
"Hey, you — go over to that table and squeeze in with them. Don't disturb our meals," the bald man said, pointing first at Chu Feng and then at the four-person table behind Chu Feng, which was already occupied by three people.
Chu Feng ignored him. Instead, he cupped his ear to listen, because he had noticed that these Yuan Gang Sect disciples were whispering about something. Their voices were too faint for anyone else to hear, but Chu Feng could catch every word.