“Ruochu, you’re dodging the question. We asked about Chu Feng, not… wait, what did you just say? Who? Who did you say Chu Feng tied with?”
“With Linghu Hongfei, of course,” Li Ruochu replied.
“You’re saying Chu Feng tied with Linghu Hongfei for first place in the Ancestral Martial Decastars? How is that possible?” The Li Heavenly Clan members were utterly incredulous.
It wasn’t their fault for doubting. They could believe Chu Feng defeating others, but tying with Linghu Hongfei? That was too far-fetched.
Especially for Li Anzhi and the others. They remembered when they could still compete with Chu Feng. Now, to hear he was on par with Linghu Hongfei—how could they accept that?
What kind of growth speed could achieve such a leap?
More crucially, in the history of the Ancestral Martial Decastars, there had never been a tie for first place.
It all sounded like a fairy tale. No wonder they didn’t believe it—anyone would find it hard to swallow.
“They fought for ten days and ten nights, with no victor decided, and no one dared challenge either of them. Naturally, they both took first place,” Li Ruochu explained, addressing their doubts. She emphasized, “The Ancestral Martial Decastars selection has concluded. It won’t be long before the news spreads. You won’t need me to tell you then—everyone will know.”
Hearing this, they had no choice but to believe. As Li Ruochu said, such a thing couldn’t be faked.
Even if she could deceive them temporarily, the truth would come out eventually. Besides, they could see no reason for her to lie.
But accepting this reality only deepened their complex emotions.
The person now aiding their Li Heavenly Clan wasn’t just a Saint-cloak World Spiritist but also the most talented junior in the Ancestral Martial Starfield—the one who tied for first in the Ancestral Martial Decastars.
Yet, not long ago, hadn’t Chu Feng nearly lost to Li Anzhi?
How had he grown so much in such a short time, to the point of fighting Linghu Hongfei to a draw?
The impact of this news was especially profound for the Li Heavenly Clan.
They couldn’t calm their reeling hearts.
After all, they had nearly gone to war with the clan of such a genius!
“So, Elder Taiyi, you really shouldn’t have spoken to Chu Feng like that earlier. He’s now someone the entire Ancestral Martial Starfield wants to court. Even Lord Nameless Star Meteor favors him, and even Tantai Xiangnan treats him with respect,” Li Ruochu said, looking at Li Taiyi.
What? Even Tantai Xiangnan treated him respectfully?
The Li Heavenly Clan members’ hearts shook even more, as if a bomb had gone off. They were almost dazed.
Nameless Star Meteor was one thing, but Tantai Xiangnan? He was the Patriarch of the Tantai Heavenly Clan, a Supreme-level powerhouse in the Ancestral Martial Starfield.
At this moment, the Patriarch and several Supreme Elders of the Li Heavenly Clan glanced at Li Taiyi, their eyes carrying varying degrees of reproach.
Only now did they realize that Chu Feng was someone even their Li Heavenly Clan couldn’t afford to offend.
“Ruochu, why didn’t you say earlier?” Li Taiyi grumbled, glancing at her. Not only others but even he himself regretted his actions.
If he’d known Chu Feng had reached such heights, no matter how much he hated him, he wouldn’t have dared speak to him that way.
“Even if I’d told you then, would you have believed me?” Li Ruochu shrugged helplessly.
“Why wouldn’t I? Don’t I trust you?” Li Taiyi shot her a look. “You nearly got me killed, you little troublemaker.”
At this moment, he no longer felt that kneeling to Chu Feng was shameful. Instead, he felt he’d narrowly escaped disaster.
Li Taiyi’s reaction was seen not only by the elders but also by the younger generation.
Seeing their lofty elders shift from hostility to fear toward Chu Feng in such a short time, the younger generation’s emotions grew even more complex.
To change a Supreme Elder’s attitude with his own strength in so little time was enough to inspire awe.
But when that person was someone their age—or even younger—their feelings went beyond mere awe.
“Tianyou, still unconvinced?” Li Anzhi asked with a playful smile, looking at Li Tianyou beside him.
Li Tianyou gave a wry smile, not answering, and instead glanced at Li Yan, another junior who had been defeated by Chu Feng.
“No use being unconvinced. The guy’s just too freakish,” Li Yan said with a bitter smile, then looked at Li Anzhi. “After all, even you, Anzhi, have started to acknowledge him.”
“Not everyone can earn my acknowledgment.”
“Back then, losing to him felt like a disgrace. I vowed to train hard and one day take revenge.”
“But when I met him again in the Ancestral Martial Cultivation Realm, I realized I’d probably never catch up to him in this lifetime. My revenge was hopeless.”
“Now, looking back, I see that fight wasn’t a disgrace—it was more like an honor.”
“To have fought such an incredible guy so fiercely, and to have come so close to winning,” Li Anzhi said with a satisfied smile.
Seeing Li Anzhi like this, Li Tianyou and the other juniors, though initially conflicted, soon smiled with acceptance.
If fighting Chu Feng back then was truly an honor, then they, too, shared in that honor.
At this moment, the Li Heavenly Clan juniors who once despised and hated Chu Feng looked at him with entirely different eyes.
Gone were the disdain and hostility, replaced by awe, admiration, and even a hint of worship…
