âItâs indeed the Snowdomain Divine Palace. Thereâs no mistake about it,â Bi Jingjing said with an affirmative tone.
âJunior Bi, if it really is the Snowdomain Divine Palace, why would it appear here today? It has only been 715 years since its last emergence, so it shouldnât be appearing now.â
The crowd turned to Bi Jingjing in search of answers.
Bi Jingjing was someone who had grown up in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, so her knowledge of this place far surpassed the others.
âBased on the records, a similar situation has happened in the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect once before, and that was the day Lord Dugu Lingtian broke the record of the Snowy Heavenly Peak,â Bi Jingjing said.
âBroke the record? Does this mean to say that someone has broken the record Lord Dugu Lingtian left behind?â
The crowd began voicing out their deductions, but most of them didnât think that it was likely. There shouldnât have been anyone amongst them who possessed the power to outdo Dugu Lingtian.
Yet, Bi Jingjing turned her gaze to Chu Feng.
Everyoneâs eyes had been on Bi Jingjing all this while, so they couldnât help but notice the peculiar gleam in her eyes when she looked at Chu Feng. So, they turned their eyes toward Chu Feng too.
âCould it be him?â
While they didnât think that it was likely, they couldnât help but recall the rumors that Chu Feng had triggered the god aptitude phenomenon in the aptitude test.
If there was anyone who could do it, he was definitely the most likely one to do so.
âJunior Chu Feng, could it really be you?â Bi Jingjing asked.
âYes, itâs me.â
Chu Feng knew that there was no way for him to hide this matter, and there was no need for him to do so either. So, he admitted to it frankly.
âIt really is him?â
Everyone looked at Chu Feng in skepticism as the surrounding discussions grew more vehement than ever.
Quite a few people turned to look at Xia Ran too. If Chu Feng was really able to break Dugu Lingtianâs record, it would verify that Xia Ran had indeed been lying, meaning to say that the evaluation rock had been tampered with, resulting in Chu Feng being evaluated with the lowest aptitude.
Needless to say, someone who had the ability to break Dugu Lingtianâs record couldnât possibly be of the lowest aptitude.
Boom boom boom boom!
All of a sudden, the ground began to tremor intensely. The light beneath the ground grew brighter as the divine aura became more and more powerful. Eventually, it came to a point where the crowd could hardly keep their eyes open.
But soon enough, the rumbling halted and the blinding light receded.
Where the light had gathered previously now stood a majestic palace. The entrance to it was a spirit formation gate.
Looking at the swirling spirit formation gate, the crowd was filled with anticipation. Above the gate was a huge plaque that wrote âSnowdomain Divine Palaceâ, but notably, there was a small subscript below that wrote âOwner: Dugu Lingtianâ.
âDugu Lingtian is still the owner of the Snowdomain Divine Palace. This is the privilege that only the record holder enjoys.â
Upon seeing the plaque, the crowd turned to look at Chu Feng, just that their gazes were filled with disdain this time around.
This piece of evidence proved that Chu Feng was lying. He couldnât have broken Dugu Lingtianâs record, or else his name would have replaced Dugu Lingtianâs name by now.
âSenior Bi, is the name on the plaque unchangeable?â Chu Feng asked Bi Jingjing in confusion.
He remembered having changed the token, and the crystal token he received was inscribed in his name too.
âJunior Chu Feng, did you really break the record? If that was the case, it should have replaced with your name.â
Even Bi Jingjing began to doubt Chu Feng too.
âI did break...â
âHah, him? How could he break Lord Dugu Lingtinaâs record? Are you all dumb? How could you even think that he would be able to surpass Lord Dugu Lingtian?â
Before Chu Feng could explain, Xia Ran had already begun speaking loudly.
âFellow disciples of the Hidden Dragon Martial Sect, have you finally seen for yourself just how shameless Chu Feng is?â Xia Ran said.
âTsk, heâs truly brazen.â
âPui! Even if he has some talent, someone of his character will never become anything big!â
Many insults swiftly followed as well.
Everyone had already decided that Chu Feng was a shameless fraudster here.
âSenior Yang, can you really tolerate such a person? He dares to desecrate Lord Dugu Lingtian!â Xia Ran turned to look at the disciples of the East Dragon Hall, or more specifically, a good-looking man.
That man was Yang Chen, one of the stronger juniors of the East Dragon Hall.
âXia Ran, like youâve said, Lord Dugu Lingtian is from your South Vermilion Hall. Donât involve me in the affairs between your South Vermilion Hall.â
Yang Chen knew what Xia Ran was up to. The latter couldnât defeat Chu Feng, so he wanted him to deal with Chu Feng on his behalf.
âSenior Yang, if you promise to help me, all of the disciples of your East Dragon Hall will be able to enter the Snowdomain Divine Palace to cultivate,â Xia Ran said.
âXia Ran, what do you mean by that? Are you going to stop me if I donât help you? Do you think that I dare not make a move on you just because Senior Xia is backing you?â
Yang Chen was someone with a backbone, so he wasnât intimidated by Xia Ranâs threat.
âSenior Yang, this is a matter between the two of us. Please donât bring Senior Xia into this. Besides, thereâs no use even if you make a move on me. Without my permission, none of you will be able to enter the Snowdomain Divine Palace! So, regardless of whether itâs Senior Yang or Senior Song, youâll have to make a move here.â
Xia Ran turned his sights toward another woman from the West Tiger Hall.
This woman was known as Song Zhi, and same as Yang Chen, her strength was above that of Xia Ranâs too.
âXia Ran, out of respect for Senior Xia, I donât wish to argue with you here. However, based on what I know, the Snowdomain Divine Palace is open to all disciples. Itâs not a special privilege of your South Vermilion Hall,â Song Zhi said.
âTypically speaking, thatâs indeed the case. However, like I said, without my permission, no one will be able to enter. This includes the disciples of our South Vermilion Hall too!â
After saying those words, Xia Ran reached into his Cosmos Sack and took out a crystal token. This crystal token shimmered with a beautiful light, and notably, it emanated an aura identical to that of the Snowy Heavenly Peak.
Chu Feng was familiar with that token. It was identical to Dugu Lingtianâs token he had seen on the stone pedestal earlier on, the only difference being their material.
âThatâs... Lord Dugu Lingtianâs token! Isnât it in Senior Xiaâs hands? She actually handed something as important as that to you?â
Everyone could recognize the token in Xia Ranâs hands right away. It was Dugu Lingtianâs token, the evidence that he had broken the record of the Snowy Heavenly Peak.
However, it should have been in the possession of the strongest disciple of the South Vermilion Hall, Xia Yan.
âSenior Xia went into closed-door training after she returned to the sect. She knew that the Snowy Heavenly Peak was going to open soon, so she handed this token over to me. This token grants me control over the doors of the Snowdomain Divine Palace, so none of you can enter its midst without my permission.
âDo you get what Iâm saying now, Senior Yang and Senior Song?â
A gleeful smirk crept onto Xia Yanâs lips.
âJunior Chu Feng, youâve seen it too. I bear no enmity toward you, but Iâve no choice but to make a move here,â Yang Chen said.
He didnât want to make an enemy out of Chu Feng, but he couldnât afford to miss this opportunity.
âJunior Chu Feng, why donât you bow down to Xia Ran, and we can let this matter pass?â Song Zhi also tried to advise Chu Feng to lower his head.
âSenior Yang, Senior Song, I appreciate your goodwill. However, thereâs no way I can lower my head and apologize to Xia Ran. I havenât done any wrong here, so why should I bow down here? Since Senior Yang and Senior Song have already come to a decision, thereâs no need to hesitate. Make your move,â Chu Feng replied.