“Did I hear that correctly? Chu Feng wants to challenge Linghu Hongfei?”
“He’s mad—absolutely mad! Who in their right mind would challenge Linghu Hongfei?”
The crowd found it hard to believe, thinking Chu Feng was far too audacious.
Even those who had been preparing to begin their duels, like Tantai Xing’er and others, instinctively restrained their surging martial power and turned their attention to Chu Feng, eager to watch the drama unfold.
This was simply too astonishing.
In truth, it wasn’t just the onlookers—even Grandmaster Liangqiu and others felt a pang of unease.
They knew that Chu Feng, as a Saint-cloak World Spiritist, possessed power comparable to a first-rank Venerable. But *comparable* was the key word.
Linghu Hongfei, however, was a second-rank Venerable. How could Chu Feng possibly face him?
“Chu Feng, are you serious?”
“You truly wish to challenge Linghu Hongfei?” Even Wuming Ken asked with a tone of uncertainty.
“Replying to the elder, this junior is certain,” Chu Feng affirmed.
“I object!!!”
No sooner had Chu Feng spoken than a voice rang out.
At that moment, everyone’s expressions grew complex, for the one who had spoken was none other than Linghu Yueyue, who stood on the same arena as Chu Feng.
Linghu Yueyue glared at Chu Feng with clear displeasure, her eyes brimming with intense dissatisfaction. “Chu Feng, if you want to challenge Linghu Hongfei, you’ll have to get through me first.”
“Miss Linghu, are you set on this?” Chu Feng asked.
“Yes. Unless we settle this, don’t think you can leave my arena,” Linghu Yueyue declared.
“If that’s the case, Miss Linghu, forgive my offence.”
*Thud—*
The moment Chu Feng finished speaking, Linghu Yueyue collapsed to the ground with a thud.
At that instant, not only were the onlookers stunned, but even Linghu Yueyue herself was dumbfounded.
Caught completely off guard, she had been knocked down by an unseen force, utterly powerless to resist. Though unharmed, she couldn’t even stand—the force had bound her completely.
Looking at Chu Feng, she saw him smiling at her, his expression tinged with a hint of mockery.
Linghu Yueyue was furious.
“Chu Feng, what despicable trick did you use on me?” she roared.
At that moment, not only was Linghu Yueyue baffled, but Tantai Xing’er, Linghu Tiemian, and all the juniors present were equally puzzled.
Some had even thought Linghu Yueyue had simply stumbled until she spoke, drawing their attention to Chu Feng.
“Chu Feng?”
“How did he do it?”
“How could he so effortlessly bring down Linghu Yueyue?”
“Linghu Yueyue is a seventh-rank Martial Immortal. Unless… Chu Feng’s cultivation surpasses hers, it shouldn’t be possible to knock her down so silently.”
Once it dawned on them that Chu Feng might be responsible, the crowd was incredulous—especially those familiar with Linghu Yueyue, like Linghu Tiemian, Linghu Mingye, and other members of the Linghu Heavenly Clan.
“It’s formation power—that’s formation power.”
“Chu Feng used formation power to restrain Linghu Yueyue.”
As the juniors grappled with confusion, an elder spoke up.
“Saint-level formation power—it’s actually Saint-level formation power. Chu Feng… at such a young age, he’s reached the level of a Saint-cloak World Spiritist?”
Another voice followed, having realised that Chu Feng was wielding Saint-level formation power.
“As expected,” Tantai Xing’er murmured, her brows furrowing slightly.
Though she had long known that Chu Feng’s Saint-cloak World Spiritist abilities granted him Venerable-realm power, seeing it in action heightened her sense of threat.
How could she contend with Venerable-realm strength?
“No way. How could Chu Feng, at his age, become a Saint-cloak World Spiritist?”
“Compared to reaching the Venerable realm, becoming a Saint-cloak World Spiritist is far more difficult.”
“In the entire Ancestral Martial Starfield, Venerable-realm experts are countless, but how many Saint-cloak World Spiritists are there?”
“A junior like him couldn’t possibly reach such a level.”
Yet those unable to discern the formation power refused to believe Chu Feng could be a Saint-cloak World Spiritist.
“Could Chu Feng be using some kind of treasure?”
“While the Ancestral Martial Ten Stars selection allows the use of treasures, defeating an opponent with an overly powerful one doesn’t earn respect, even if it secures a high rank.”
“Exactly—it must be a treasure. If it were truly formation power, why can’t I see it? Isn’t formation power supposed to be even more dazzling than martial power?”
“I’ve seen Saint-level formation power before—it’s extraordinary, like divine might. Before it, everything else pales. But with Chu Feng… I see nothing.”
Some even speculated that Chu Feng’s power came from a treasure.
This wasn’t entirely their fault—Chu Feng had deliberately concealed the form of his formation power. Those with weaker strength couldn’t see it at all, naturally leading them to suspect trickery.
Worse still, some began to mock Chu Feng openly, particularly the juniors of the Gong Heavenly Clan.
“No wonder he’s suddenly so impressive—it’s all thanks to a treasure. This guy’s utterly shameless,” they sneered, hurling every insult they could muster at Chu Feng.
Yet, even as they ridiculed him, they kept their voices low, not daring to shout.
Their cowardice and pettiness were plain to see.
