According to Long Chengyu, at the start of the trial, he and Xian Miaomiao were grouped together with Qin Xuan. The three of them were forced to work together, but they overcame their challenges and eventually stumbled upon Huangfu Fanni.
That was their state when Chu Feng stumbled upon them and intervened.
Before they joined hands, Long Chengyu asked Qin Xuan about the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect colluding with Long Lin to attack the Totem Dragon Clan. Qin Xuan expressed that he was unaware of the matter, and he even questioned if Long Chengyu was certain of it.
Qin Xuan was fairly confident that the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect wouldnât do something like that.
Long Chengyu didnât think that Qin Xuan was lying when he said those words, which at least suggested that the latter didnât participate in the matter. Taking a step back, there was no reason for the Heavenly Dome Immortal Sect to involve their juniors in this operation either.
Personally, he did think that Qin Xuan was a respectable man, given how he had put his life on the line to save Xian Miaomiao from Huangfu Fanni.
Admittedly, it was likely they would eventually clash given their different loyalties, but Long Chengyu still thought that he should compartmentalize the matters. He thought that it was fine to travel with Qin Xuan for the time being.
Having made up their minds, Chu Feng requested Master Nine Zenith to prepare an isolated area and bring Wang Qiang, Long Chengyu, Long Muxi, Xianhai Shaoyu, Little Fishy, Xian Miaomiao, Qin Xuan, Yuwen Yanri, Ling Xiao, Jie Baobao, and the two juniors from the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion over.
In essence, these were the people who had contributed to the ancient hallâs formation, which was why he included Ling Xiao and Jie Baobao despite their conflicting backgrounds, as well as the two juniors from the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion despite their relatively weaker prowess.
These top-notch juniors had their attention on Chu Feng as if waiting for his command.
They had known something was up when they saw everyone else being teleported out of the Nine Heavensâ Zenith,
âI have summoned here those who have contributed to the ancient hallâs formation. Without your help, I couldnât have ventured deeper into the trial. I previously promised to share any reward I acquired in the trial with the rest of you. I didnât stumble upon any treasure, but I acquired a fortuitous encounter. Iâm heading over there right now, Iâd like to bring you there with me.
âI am also not sure whatâs awaiting us there, but according to the clues I have gathered, the rewards we may acquire there are not things weâll stumble upon every day. Itâll be of great help to our future cultivation,â Chu Feng said.
Those words piqued the crowdâs interest.
âChu Feng, do you roughly know what the rewards are?â Qin Xuan asked.
âIâm not sure, but thereâll be rewards. Iâd still advise you to go,â Chu Feng replied.
âIâm interested, but Chu Feng, is it possible for you to keep this matter confidential?â Qin Xuan asked.
The other two from the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion nodded in agreement.
âChu Feng, I havenât known you for a long time, but I can tell that youâre a good person. Youâre not the man my younger brother painted you out to be. You could have just silenced us for good, and those outside would have never found out about your conflict with Huangfu Shengyu, but you didnât choose that course of action.
âIn fact, you didnât have to share this fortuitous encounter with us. What we have contributed was merely the tip of the iceberg, and I donât think we are truly qualified to share this fortuitous encounter with you. However, youâre still willing to take us, including Ling Xiao and Jie Baobao, with you. I am in awe of your magnanimity.
âI know that itâs unbecoming of me to make such a request, but I am a Heavenly Dome Immortal Clansman, and the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion is not a power my sect can afford to offend. It should be the same for the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion too,â Qin Xuan said.
Those two from the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion nodded. âYoung hero Qin Xuan is right.â
âI understand, and I also think that we should keep this matter confidential,â Chu Feng said.
âIâm glad you agree, Chu Feng.â
Qin Xuan and the two juniors from the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion were overjoyed as they didnât want to miss this fortuitous encounter. They knew how difficult it was to clear the ancient hall, so they could fathom that the rewards would be anything but ordinary too.
âI have two conditions,â Chu Feng suddenly spoke up.
Qin Xuan and the two juniors from the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion quietened down.
âFirst, Iâd like to bring these two friends of mine along,â Chu Feng said as he gestured to Wang Qiang and Long Muxi.
âOf course. You call the shots,â Qin Xuan replied.
The others voiced similar sentiments too.
âSecond, you should have heard about my conflict with the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion. My head is worth a lot to the Seven Realms Sacred Mansion, so I canât shrug off the possibility that you or your respective powers might attempt to capture me so as to get in their good graces. As a safety precaution, Iâll be placing a formation on you to terminate any connection you have with your powers.
âIf you arenât good with that, Iâll still offer you some compensation for your contribution, but this compensation might not be ideal. For one, this fortuitous encounter comes with risks, and youâll be offsetting the risk if you choose not to go. Naturally, itâs only right for the compensation to be lower,â Chu Feng said.
âI-I-I donât have a problem with that! I think Chu Feng i-i-is absolutely right!â Wang Qiang immediately raised his hands and voiced out.
Chu Feng burst into laughter. He grabbed Wang Qiangâs shoulder and said, âI appreciate your sentiment, my brother, but itâs fine. Everyone here should know about our close ties by now.â
âI donât have a problem with that,â Long Chengyu said.
âNeedless to say, I support big brother,â Little Fishy agreed with a smile.
âYou have my unconditional support,â Xian Miaomiao added with a sweet smile.
âSince youâre fine with it, Iâll go along with it too,â Feng Ling said.
Even Yuwen Yanri, Qin Xuan, and the two from the Divine Body Heavenly Mansion expressed their agreement too.
âIâm fine with it,â Ling Xiao surprisingly spoke up.
âMe too,â Jie Baobao said.
The crowd, including Xianhai Shaoyu, was surprised. They thought that Ling Xiao and Jie Baobao would back out, but the two of them accepted the deal instead.
âAre you two joining us too?â Long Chengyu asked.
âCan we?â Ling Xiao asked.
âI donât call the shots here,â Long Chengyu replied as he looked at Chu Feng.
To put it bluntly, Chu Feng was the one in charge here. No one could object even if he chose to exclude someone, since they couldnât beat him anyway. There was no contention as to who the strongest junior in the world of cultivation was anymore.
At least those present acknowledged their inferiority.