“He conceded?”
“Linghu Mingye actually conceded?”
“Why? Conceding means giving up the chance to obtain a key, doesn’t it?”
“To abandon such a golden opportunity like that? It makes no sense—what’s going on?”
Linghu Mingye’s words left many baffled, and even those close to him began secretly messaging him, asking why he would surrender.
But only Linghu Mingye himself knew he was no match for Chu Feng. Rather than humiliate himself by stepping up only to be defeated, it was better to concede from the start.
In fact, not only did Linghu Mingye know this, but a few others—both on the pillars of honour and among the spectators—were also aware that Chu Feng’s true strength far surpassed Linghu Mingye’s.
To these people, Linghu Mingye’s concession was indeed a wise choice.
“Linghu Mingye conceded? Brother Gong, what do you make of this?”
The prominent figures around the Gong Heavenly Clan’s patriarch asked eagerly.
They were keen to hear his thoughts, naturally because of the betrothal tie between Chu Feng and their clan.
“I don’t know what’s going on, but there must be some hidden reason,” the patriarch replied.
At this moment, not only was the Gong Heavenly Clan puzzled, but Gong Mingyue, Gong Qing, and many others were equally confused.
Gong Qing, however, didn’t dwell on it. She didn’t care whether Linghu Mingye had ulterior motives—his concession was good news for Chu Feng, and that was enough to make her happy.
And she wasn’t the only one rejoicing. Many of the challengers on Chu Feng’s pillar were also delighted.
These were people with some ability, confident they could stand out. Linghu Mingye had been a major obstacle, but with him out of the way, their chances had returned.
“Senior, can we begin?” a voice suddenly rang out.
The voice was so abrupt that it caught those still pondering Linghu Mingye’s concession off guard.
Even Wuming Ken, the Starfield Master Realm’s host, didn’t react immediately.
“Senior, can we begin?” Chu Feng added.
“Oh, yes, we can start now,” Wuming Ken finally responded.
By now, everyone realised Chu Feng was referring to the start of the duel.
*Boom—*
At that moment, a deafening roar erupted.
It was followed by a chorus of screams.
All eyes turned to the source, and everyone’s expressions shifted. Some juniors, like Gong Qing, were so shocked their mouths hung open.
On Chu Feng’s pillar of honour, only one person remained—Chu Feng himself.
As for the others, they were now wailing, faces contorted, flailing wildly as they were flung far into the distance.
Those who weren’t screaming were in worse shape—bloodied, spitting blood, bleeding from all seven orifices. They weren’t silent by choice; they had already passed out.
With a single strike, Chu Feng had defeated nearly ten thousand people on the pillar.
“So strong!!!”
“Chu Feng is so strong!!!”
“Who said he’s just a First Rank True Immortal? Who said that?”
“This aura—it’s clearly First Rank Martial Immortal!!!”
“Chu Feng is a First Rank Martial Immortal!!!!”
After a brief moment of shock, a tidal wave of astonishment swept through the crowd!!!
The moment Chu Feng struck, everyone felt his aura, finally grasping his true strength.
“First Rank Martial Immortal? He’s a First Rank Martial Immortal! If he has such strength, why did he let the Xu Heavenly Clan members bully him that day?”
Even Gong Mingyue was rattled.
She was now almost certain Chu Feng had deliberately hidden his cultivation, though she couldn’t fathom why he would do so back then.
“Wow, I never imagined Chu Feng would be this powerful! No wonder Linghu Mingye conceded—he must know Chu Feng’s strength.”
“Sister, I told you my future brother-in-law is amazing! How else could he teach me to heal Little Thorn?” Gong Qing was ecstatic, dancing with joy, even grabbing Gong Mingyue’s arm and shaking it excitedly.
Watching her sister’s unbridled happiness, Gong Mingyue felt a pang of unease.
She could understand Gong Qing’s joy—after all, she seemed to have a good relationship with Chu Feng.
But Gong Mingyue couldn’t muster any happiness herself.
“I’ve heard Linghu Mingye is more than a First Rank Martial Immortal—he’s above that. Even if Chu Feng is a First Rank Martial Immortal, he shouldn’t be a match for Linghu Mingye,” an old man mused, stroking his beard.
“Unless…” the Gong Heavenly Clan’s patriarch began softly.
“Unless what?” those around him asked eagerly.
“Unless this First Rank Martial Immortal isn’t Chu Feng’s true strength—unless he’s still hiding his cultivation,” the patriarch said.
“What? Still hiding his cultivation?”
“That’s very possible, very possible! Why else would Master Liangqiu and the others bet so heavily on him?”
“Could Chu Feng really have the strength to defeat everyone?”
The crowd nodded in agreement with the patriarch’s theory.
At this moment, their gazes toward Chu Feng carried a newfound respect.
“Brother Gong, you misled us! If you hadn’t said Chu Feng was just a First Rank True Immortal, we’d have bet on him too.”
“Exactly, what a missed opportunity—so regrettable.”
Yet after their astonishment, some of the prominent figures couldn’t help but grumble at the patriarch.
“Young friend Chu Feng hid his strength well—I was indeed fooled before. But can you blame me? Even now, can any of you discern his true strength?” The patriarch scanned the crowd, posing the question.
“Well… uh…”
The figures couldn’t respond, as they genuinely couldn’t see through Chu Feng’s true cultivation.
This wasn’t their fault. Chu Feng, after all, was a Saint-cloak World Spiritist. Even if only at the Insect Mark level, if he chose to conceal his cultivation, they couldn’t penetrate it.
That was the power of a World Spiritist.
The First Rank Martial Immortal cultivation was Chu Feng’s current true strength. Though his cultivation had been sealed due to backlash, it was now gradually unsealing.
As of now, it had recovered to First Rank Martial Immortal.
Though his cultivation was far from its normal peak, Chu Feng wasn’t worried in the slightest.
While his cultivation recovered slowly, his World Spiritist techniques had fully restored.
Chu Feng could now feel the immense power of the spirit energy within him.
It was a force beyond Martial Immortal.
With Linghu Hongfei absent, among the current competitors, Chu Feng’s Saint-level spirit energy made him truly unmatched.
Of course, he wouldn’t reveal such formidable power lightly.
Chu Feng felt that his First Rank Martial Immortal cultivation was more than enough to handle the juniors challenging him.
As for his spirit energy, surpassing Martial Immortal, he’d save it for critical moments.
“Who cares? The Ancestral Martial Ten Stars selection has begun, and everyone must give their all. Whether Chu Feng is hiding his strength or not, if he wants a good ranking, he’ll have to go all out too. After all, among his opponents are monstrous geniuses like Linghu Yueyue and Linghu Tiemian,” an old man beside the patriarch remarked.
“Well said. We’ll see Chu Feng’s true measure today.”
The crowd strongly agreed with this sentiment.
After all, by now, the Ancestral Martial Ten Stars selection had fully kicked off, and the real show had begun.
This was a contest of raw strength—rankings would depend on sheer ability.
