âChu Feng, you might be lacking in understanding of Duan Liufeng. Heâs indeed incredibly talented back then, but heâs not the same man he used to be. Three thousand years have already passed, and his era is pretty much over. There are plenty of people like him in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect who have shown their edge, only to swiftly spiral into decline. None of these people have managed to rise back up once more afterward.
âIf youâre hoping that he could regain his strength and return to his peak, thatâs being far too optimistic. Thereâs no chance of that happening at all. So, I advise you to wake up your idea and make the wiser decision here,â Tu Yuanyuanâ elder told Chu Feng.
âThank you for your goodwill, but my mind is made up,â Chu Feng replied.
âSince thatâs the case, I shanât force you either.â
Tu Yuanyuanâs master seemed to be a little angry that Chu Fengâs refusal that she got up right away and left.
âChu Feng, weâll see one another again!â
As for Tu Yuanyuan, she blinked her eyes at Chu Feng before quickly following her master.
âYoung friend Chu Feng, Duan Liufeng is just an outer elder right now. Going by the rules of the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, even if you take Duan Liufeng as your master, given his identity, he can only bring you into the North Tortoise Hall.
âIt hasnât been long since you joined our Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, so you might not know the situation here clearly. The four halls here do have a hierarchy...â
As soon as Tu Yuanyuan and her master left, Ouyang Che immediately stepped forward and tried persuading Chu Feng once more, not willing to give up on the gem before him.
âI know that the North Tortoise Hall ranks at the bottom of the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect at the moment, but itâs not a problem for me,â Chu Feng replied with an unwavering attitude.
He didnât even wait for Elder Ouyang Che to finish his words before expressing his stance.
Nevertheless, the other elders, including those from the West Tiger Hall and South Vermilion Hall, were still unwilling to give up. They tried their best to convince him into choosing them, hoping that they would luck out.
Unfortunately, Chu Feng refused to budge in his stance.
Seeing that it was hopeless, those elders left the area too.
âChu Feng, are you certain that you wish to join our North Tortoise Hall?ân/o/vel/b//in dot c//om
As soon as those elders left, Elder Dao Qinian of the North Tortoise Hall walked over and asked.
Chu Feng had already turned down the invitations from three of the halls. At this rate, unless he changed his mind, otherwise the only place he could go to was the North Tortoise Hall.
âElder Dao, I have already made up my mind,â Chu Feng replied.
âVery well! I like disciples who are decisive like you!â
Dao Qinian could hardly conceal his joy.
Even though Chu Feng didnât choose him as his master, it was still a huge blessing that someone as talented as him was coming under the North Tortoise Hall. What the North Tortoise Hall lacked right now wasnât disciples but talented ones like Chu Feng.
âChu Feng, the one who has brought you in is Elder Duan Liufeng, so naturally, heâll be rewarded by the sect for his efforts. Given your aptitude test, heâd receive a lowest bestowment, but considering your current cultivation level, itâs possible for him to receive a high bestowment.
âItâs just that the bestowment will be useful to you too. You have the choice to decide whether you wish to keep it for yourself to give it to him. That being said, I reckon that you would willingly give it to him, am I right?â Dao Qinian asked.
âYou understand me well, Elder Dao,â Chu Feng replied.
âHahaha! Someone who has the courage to turn down the invitation from the East Dragon Hall naturally wouldnât covet this bit of resources. Since thatâs the case, youâll follow me back to the North Tortoise Hall for now. Iâll have the reward sent to Elder Duan together with your intention of acknowledging him as your master. However, I should remind you in advance that things might not necessarily work out.
âThere are actually many disciples who have heard of Elder Duanâs affairs and wish to acknowledge him as their master, only to be rejected. Becoming his disciple is actually no easy feat. After all... he used to be quite a distinguished figure in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect. Unlike the rest of us, heâs a prideful person. Even if he rejects you, I hope that you can understand where heâs coming from.â
After saying his piece, Dao Qinian led the disciples toward North Tortoise Hall. The other disciples had to fly behind him, but Chu Feng received an invitation from Dao Qinian to ride on his spirit crane mount, to which, Chu Feng accepted.
âElder Dao, based on the earlier remarks I heard from the other elders, it seems like Elder Duan has a story behind him. May I know if itâs convenient for you to tell me about it?â Chu Feng asked.
âYou... donât know about Elder Duanâs affairs?â
Dao Qinian looked at Chu Feng in bewilderment.
âYes, Iâm afraid that I donât know about it,â Chu Feng replied honestly.
âThatâs weird. If you donât know him, why do you want to acknowledge him as your master? As a new disciple, shouldnât you choose someone who can stand up for you in the sect?â Dao Qinian was confused.
It was understandable if Chu Feng knew about Duan Liufengâs past and wanted to gamble on him, but the thing was that Chu Feng didnât even know about Duan Liufengâs past at all. This made Dao Qinian intrigued as to what Chu Feng was up to.
âEarlier, I was placed in the middle of the square like a commercial good to be chosen by the elders of the four halls. If I donât reveal a bit of my strength, no one would spare a second glance at me. Even Hua Xu would think that Iâm someone whom he can oppress.
âWhile the revelation of my strength did change the eldersâ mind, that was not what Iâm intending for. If any of the elders had been willing to stand up for me while I was still weak, even if heâs an elder from the North Tortoise Hall, I would willingly take him as my master,â Chu Feng explained.
âI understand. You value character much more than strength, thatâs why you wish to find a master whose character is worthy of your respect. But Chu Feng, you should know that the world of cultivation values strength. Words have to be backed up with strength. I hope that you can see where the other elders are coming from when they failed to stand up for you,â Dao Qinian said.
âElder Dao, I have no intention of blaming those elders for not standing up for me. It only means that they arenât suited for me. Iâm not that noble of a person as to believe that character is superior to strength. The world of cultivation is filled with danger, and there are people whom I wish to protect as well. For that, I would need strength.
âBut fate sometimes come in an indescribable way. I know that Elder Duan isnât strong, but for some reason, I felt that I should acknowledge him as my master,â Chu Feng replied.
âElder Duan is a person who has lived a tough life,â Dao Qinian remarked with a deep sigh.
Then, he began to share Duan Liufengâs story with Chu Feng.
Duan Liufeng had joined the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect three thousand years ago. Blessed with superior talents, it didnât take him long to rise above the disciples of the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect to become the chief disciple. Back then, there was no one who shone brighter than him.
With the strength he had shown, he could have easily become a candidate-in-training as the successor of the sect master position, and the sect master of the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect did show interest in taking him in as a closed-door disciple.
So, the sect master prepared a trial for him to test him one last time.
Unfortunately, Duan Liufeng failed the trial and ended up sustaining severe injuries. If not for the sect master stepping in to save him, he could have very well lost his life. However, even though he was saved, his cultivation ended up regressing, and the traumas he sustained made it hard for him to recover.
Despite so, Duan Liufeng was unwilling to change. He ended up offending quite a few people in the East Dragon Hall, which resulted in him being evicted out to the outer hall.
Later on, as he grew up, he obtained the position of an outer elder. Unfortunately, those in the outer hall were doomed to remain as the lowest dregs of the sect.