âDisciple? Which disciple is it? How did he disrespect you?â Hua Xuâs master asked.
âThat person insulted me.â
âWho is it?â
As expected, Hua Xu turned his gaze toward Chu Feng.
âMaster, itâs that person.â
Hua Xu pointed to Chu Feng as he spoke.
âI wonât make things difficult for you. Apologize to my disciple, and we can let this matter slip,â Hua Xuâs master ordered Chu Feng.
âIf I had done wrong, I would be more than willing to apologize. However, since I havenât erred at all, why should I apologize?â Chu Feng replied.
âAudacious! Chu Feng, you dare to disobey my master?â Hua Xu bellowed coldly.
However, Chu Feng didnât bother to even look at Hua Xu, choosing to focus his attention on Hua Xuâs master instead.
âElder, your disciple slandered me without any reason. As his master, shouldnât you punish him?â Chu Feng replied.
âAre you saying that my disciple is lying?â Hua Xuâs master asked.
âOf course. He said that I was disrespectful to him, but does he have any evidence? All of the disciples and the elders can bear witness to everything that has happened ever since our meeting. When have I shown him disrespect?â Chu Feng asked.
âYou insulted me through voice transmission, so naturally, thereâs no evidence,â Hua Xu argued.
âIn other words, thereâs no evidence to back up your words?â Chu Feng refuted.
âMaster, I swear that everything Iâve said is true. Please redress my grievances!â Hua Xu actually kneeled down and made a vow right before his master.
âI believe in my own eyes. The disciple I chose canât possibly be of bad character.â Hua Xuâs master supported Hua Xu back to his feet as he spoke.
After that, he turned his eyes toward Chu Feng and said, âIâll give you a chance. If you apologize right now and admit your fault, I wonât hold it against you. However, if you refuse to repent, I believe that thereâs a need to show you that there are rules in our Hidden Dragon Martial Sect!â
â Chu Feng, arenât you going to admit your mistake?â
Some of the elders present immediately began forcing Chu Feng to bow down without caring about the truth at all.
âThis elder over there, since you have no evidence to back up your words, how can you deem that itâs Chu Fengâs fault just because of what Hua Xu said? Arenât you being too biased here?â
Someone finally spoke up for Chu Feng. It was Tu Yuanyuan.
However, barely after Tu Yuanyuan said those words, her master immediately shot a glare at her. Her intent was clearâshe didnât want Tu Yuanyuan to get involved in matters that didnât concern her.
It was possible that Tu Yuanyuan had sent her a voice transmission to inform her of something, but Tu Yuanyuanâs expression turned a little conflicted.
âThis young friend here, your words do make sense. However, should justice not be served just because thereâs no evidence?â Hua Xuâs master said.
Tu Yuanyuan lowered her head, not saying a word at all. It was a sign of compromise.
Hua Xuâs master had made his attitude clear over here. He was determined to stand up for Hua Xu no matter he was right or not. Everyoneâs gazes immediately fell upon Chu Feng.
Some of them were looking at him in sympathy, pitying that he had to suffer such injustice right after entering the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect. However, most of them had a gleeful look on their faces. They felt that Chu Feng was acting too arrogantly and deserved to be punished.
âElder, it looks like you really believe in your own judgment.â
Chu Fengâs lips curled up into a deep smile before he walked back into the square. Everyone thought that Chu Feng was going to succumb and apologize to Hua Xu.
âYou have to kneel down,â Hua Xuâs master supplemented.
However, those words only deepened Chu Fengâs smile. Right before everyoneâs eyes, Chu Feng walked past Hua Xu and his master, heading right toward the dueling ring. Then, he struck the bell with the word âIndignanceâ on it.
âThis...â
Everyone was shocked to see this sight. They didnât think that Chu Feng would actually make such a move, except for Tu Yuanyuan. She was the only one who wasnât surprised by Chu Fengâs action, and she smirked in anticipation of what was going to happen next.
âChu Feng, which elderâs decision do you feel indignant over?â Elder Dao Qinian asked.
âIâm not indignant with any of the elderâs decision,â Chu Feng replied.
âAudacious! Elder Dao Qinian has already told you the significance of the bell. Since you donât feel indignant about the decision made by any of the elders, how could you hit the bell? Are you intending on causing a mess here?â
Before Dao Qinian could say anything, some of the elders present had already begun criticizing Chu Feng. They were speaking against Chu Feng not because they held a grudge against him, but that they simply wanted to fawn on Hua Xuâs master.
âChu Feng, speak of your intent.â
On the other hand, Dao Qinian didnât rush into criticizing Chu Feng. Instead, he chose to probe on.
âElder, I would like to prove a fact over here,â Chu Feng said.
âWhat is it?â Dao Qinian asked.
âHua Xu said that I insulted him secretly, but I would like to prove that he isnât even qualified for that. Even if I wish to insult him, I would have done it openly. Thereâs no need for me to resort to underhanded means like using voice transmission,â Chu Feng replied.
âIn other words, you wish to challenge Hua Xu?â Dao Qinian asked.
âIndeed,â Chu Feng replied.
âThe one you are challenging by hitting the bell isnât Hua Xu but me. You wish to prove that youâre above Hua Xu? But that white token you wear already proves your inferiority. Even if your cultivation surpasses Hua Xu at the moment, itâs only a matter of time before youâre overtaken.
âHowever, Iâm not an unreasonable person. Since you wish to prove yourself, Iâll give you an opportunity to do so.
âXu Cheng,â Hua Xuâs master shouted loudly.
âYes, master!â
A man flew out from the crowd in the sky, landing right before Hua Xuâs master. This man named Xu Cheng was also his disciple, making him Hua Xuâs senior.
âSomeone has doubted my judgment and wishes to challenge your junior. You shall be fighting in your juniorâs stead in this battle,â Hua Xuâs master said.
âUnderstood.â
Xu Cheng accepted the orders and leaped right onto the dueling ring.
This sight brought about a huge commotion from the crowd.
Based on the discussions going around, Chu Feng learned that Hua Xuâs master was named Ouyang Che. His disciple, Xu Cheng, was not a junior anymore, being in his 500s this year. His cultivation was also impressive as well, having reached rank one Utmost Exalted level.
âElder, is this in line with the rules?â Chu Feng asked Dao Qinian.
âThe doubted elder has the choice to select any of his disciples to fight the battle in his stead. Chu Feng, if you admit defeat right now, you can avoid the battle,â Dao Qinian said.
âThank you for your advice, elder.â
Knowing that Dao Qinian was saying that out of goodwill, Chu Feng bowed slightly to him in acknowledgment. Nevertheless, he still chose to turn around to step onto the dueling ring too.
âDo you really intend to fight with me in place of Hua Xu?â Chu Feng asked.
âSince youâve already stepped on the dueling ring, thereâs no longer any room for you to back down anymore. I wonât give you the chance to admit defeat. Iâll teach you a lesson that youâll never forget for daring to doubt my masterâs judgment!â
Xu Chengâs words were composed, but his eyes were filled with viciousness. It was almost as if he was determined to devour Chu Feng whole. Without a doubt, he wouldnât go easy on Chu Feng despite not being a junior.
Shoosh!
But all of a sudden, Chu Feng vanished from view.
Peng!
A dull thud sounded, and a figure was sent flying down from the dueling ring. Taking a closer look, everyone, be it disciples or elders, was all shocked.
The one who had flown down from the dueling was actually Xu Chengâs senior, the rank one Utmost Exalted level Xu Cheng!
As for Chu Feng, he was standing in place of where Xu Cheng previously was. At this moment, Chu Feng was finally revealing his cultivation too.
âChu Feng, he... Heâs actually at rank one Utmost Exalted level!â
Everyone stared at Chu Feng in astonishment. They never thought that Chu Feng would actually be this strong.
This was definitely not a feat that could be accomplished by someone of ordinary aptitude!