âYou know each other?â Qin Xuan asked.
âWeâre old acquaintances,â Liu Kuo replied frankly.
âThat explains your biased judgment. You know each other. Is this what you mean by upholding fairness? Whereâs Master Nine Zenith? I want to voice my grievances!â Qin Xuan shouted while looking around.
He felt like he had been made a fool. When had he, the strongest prodigy of the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect, ever been treated in such a way?
âStop shouting. What are you making a fuss for? Are you having trouble hearing, or is your memory that bad? Didnât I just tell you that my master is in closed-door cultivation?â Liu Kuo replied impatiently. âMy master isnât around. Iâm the one who calls the shots here. You should leave if you have a problem with that.â
He pointed toward the road leading out of the Nine Heavensâ Zenith.
âArenât you scared the world will laugh at you for being so biased?â Qin Xuan asked.
âQin Shu wasnât afraid of being laughed at when he colluded with the Bluemoon Sacred Palace; what do I have to fear?â Liu Kuo asked.
âDonât talk nonsense!â Qin Xuan roared.
âYou should know better whether Iâm talking nonsense or not,â Liu Kuo replied in disdain.
Qin Xuan gritted his teeth, but there was nothing he could do. The Nine Heavensâ Zenith was a unique existence in the world of cultivation; he couldnât hope to intimidate it with the influence of the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect.
He had only shouted earlier in hopes of rallying the crowd against this injustice, but the crowd only chatted amongst themselves; no one stood forward to speak on his behalf. This made him realize that he had no choice but to lower his head now that he was no longer on his home turf.
None of these prodigies dared to offend Liu Kuo in the Nine Heavensâ Zenith.
Other than the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion, no one would dare to side with him.
Just then, Liu Kuo turned to the crowd and said, âYou may feel free to voice out if you feel that I, Liu Kuo, was unjust in my verdict.â
The noisy crowd immediately fell silent. They didnât even dare to chatter among themselves anymore, fearing that Liu Kuo might misinterpret their actions.
Liu Kuo nodded in satisfaction before he turned to Qin Xuan and said, âSee, youâre the only one who thinks I was unjust. Thatâs your problem then, not mine.â
Qin Xuan felt frustrated. He had never felt so indignant before.
âCome, Brother Chu Feng. Iâll show you the residence we have prepared for you in the Nine Heavensâ Zenith,â Liu Kuo turned around and grabbed Chu Fengâs arm with a beaming smile. His attitude changed so quickly that it was clear whose side he was on.
Liu Kuo also turned to Little Fishy and the others and said, âLittle sisters, come with me too⦠Ah no, I mean âmissesâ. Hehehe.â
Little Fishy frowned, but she didnât say a word since Liu Kuo was Chu Fengâs friend.
âB-b-b-brother, I still have m-m-matters to attend to. I-I-I-Iâll head back first. S-s-see you later,â Wang Qiang said.
âGo and do what you have to,â Chu Feng said.
âA-a-all right!â Wang Qiang replied before returning to his residence.
Chu Feng and the others followed Liu Kuo into the white fog.
As soon as Liu Kuo and the others left, a huge commotion broke out amidst the crowd.
âItâs over. Itâs all over. Even the Nine Heavensâ Zenith is on Chu Fengâs side. Itâs no wonder he dares to come here. It turns out that no one is able to do anything about him here!â
âBut why does Chu Feng have so many connections? Is his father actually capable? How else did he get acquainted with so many powerful figures?â
Meanwhile, Chu Feng and the others followed Liu Kuo into the white fog and arrived at Chu Fengâs residence. The first thought that came to their mind was âhugeâ. There was a towering mountain, a grand waterfall, a vast plain, and that wasnât all of it yet!
All of the prodigies who managed to reach the Nine Heavensâ Zenith lived in places as huge as a realm; Chu Fengâs residence wasnât exactly impressive by that standard.
However, everything was relative. This was the Nine Heavensâ Zenith, not their home. Even Little Fishyâs residence consisted of only a residence and a courtyard, and that was the privilege accorded to invitees. Ordinary people only received a little house.
âWah, this is unfair! I was invited too, but why is Chu Fengâs residence much more luxurious?â Feng Ling grumbled with a pout.
âIâm starting to get Qin Xuanâs indignation,â Xianhai Shaoyu remarked with a smile.
âBenefactors, youâre misunderstanding me here. My master was the one who prepared this place for Chu Feng,â Liu Kuo said. He turned to Xianhai Shaoyu and Feng Ling and added, âYou were at the last Nine Heavensâ Zenith. You should remember why it stopped halfway, right?â
âYou said that the tournament can only continue when all prodigies are invited, right? Ah, was the prodigy Master Nine Zenith referring to Chu Feng?â Feng Ling asked.
âI didnât say that, but Brother Chu Feng is indeed indispensable to our Nine Heavensâ Zenith,â Liu Kuo said.
âDonât say that. Iâm only here to see my friends and join the commotion. My cultivation is hardly enough to compete with the others,â Chu Feng replied with a smile.
Chu Feng was one of the strongest juniors in the world of cultivation, but his strength was still not enough to match the likes of Xianhai Shaoyu, Little Fishy, Feng Ling, and others.
âBrother Chu Feng, the trials in our Nine Heavensâ Zenith differ from time to time. What we measure isnât just an individualâs current strength but their future potential too,â Liu Kuo said.
âIsnât that unfair?â Chu Feng asked.
Chu Feng had never feared anyone when it came to measuring potential, but that was not the kind of competition he was looking for. All of the strongest prodigies of the world of cultivation were gathered here; it would be such a waste to just compare their potential.
Instead, they should decide the best one amongst them with their strength and skills. That would be far more interesting.
âPerhaps so, but the Nine Heavensâ Zenith has the final say regarding the competition format,â Liu Kuo replied.
He led the group toward a floating palaceâChu Fengâs residence. This residence was grand, and the cloudless sky provided a clear view of the scenery beneath.
âWeâre all humans, but why is there such a huge disparity between us? Ey, I donât want to return to my residence anymore. Can I stay here?â Feng Ling asked.
Instead of answering, Liu Kuo squeezed one of the prayer beads and pointed his finger at Chu Feng, sending a ray of light into the latterâs body. He was granting Chu Feng control over the formation. With this, Chu Feng could sense what was happening outside his residence, and he would know if someone wanted to visit him.
Only then did Liu Kuo turn to Feng Ling and say, âBenefactor Feng Ling, Brother Chu Feng calls the shots here. Alternatively, my residence also has free space. Hehehe.â
âI shanât trouble you, uncle,â Feng Ling replied.
âOof⦠Iâm actually not that old,â Liu Kuo explained.
Feng Ling ignored him and instead turned to Chu Feng, asking, âChu Feng, can I stay here?â
âFeel free to stay here if you wish,â Chu Feng said.
âI want to stay here too!â Xian Miaomiao exclaimed.
âBig sister Miaomiao, are you really going to stay here too?â Little Fishy asked.
âOf course!â Xian Miaomiao nodded.
âGreat! I shall accompany big sister here too,â Little Fishy replied.
âMy little sister, itâs not as if youâre particularly close to Miss Miaomiao. She doesnât need your company. Stop using her as an excuse and pretend to be demure. Why donât you just say that you wish to be with Chu Feng?â Xianhai Shaoyu said.
âNone of your business.â Little Fishy glared at Xianhai Shaoyu.
âHmph, women!â Xianhai Shaoyu sneered. He turned to Chu Feng and said, âBrother Chu Feng, you know what Iâm going to ask, right?â
âYouâre all free to stay here,â Chu Feng said.
Long Chengyuâs eyes lit up upon hearing those words. âSince thatâs the case, I alsoâ¦â
âMen arenât allowed,â Little Fishy quickly interjected.
âAhâ¦â Long Chengyu was left fidgeting awkwardly on the spot. His excitement had vanished without a trace.