“Chu Feng, you probably do not know enough about Duan Liufeng yet.”
“He was indeed exceptionally talented back then, but the him of now is no longer the him of the past.”
“Three thousand full years have passed. He has already completely fallen.”
“In fact, within the entire Wolong Martial Sect, there are countless people like him who once shone brightly but then quickly declined.”
“Not a single one of those people has ever managed to stand up again.”
“If you are pinning your hopes on him recovering his strength and returning to his peak, then expecting him to support you, that is simply impossible.”
“So I advise you to wake up a little.”
“Right now, make the best choice you can.”
Tu Yuanyuan’s master said this to Chu Feng.
“Thank you, Elder, for your kind intentions, but Chu Feng has already made up his mind.”
Chu Feng replied.
“Since that is the case, then I will not force you.”
Tu Yuanyuan’s master seemed a little angry. As she spoke, she rose into the air.
“Chu Feng, we will see each other later.”
As for Tu Yuanyuan, she winked at Chu Feng before also rising into the air and following her master away from the place.
“Little friend Chu Feng, that Duan Liufeng is now merely an outer courtyard elder.”
“According to the rules of our Wolong Martial Sect, even if you take Duan Liufeng as your master, with his status he can only bring you into the Northern Xuan Courtyard together.”
“You have only recently entered the Wolong Martial Sect and may not yet understand our sect. Our Wolong Martial Sect’s four courtyards actually have…”
Elder Ouyang Che saw that Tu Yuanyuan’s master had left. Thinking he still had a chance, the unwilling man personally stepped forward and began persuading Chu Feng again.
“I know that the Northern Xuan Courtyard is currently the weakest of the four courtyards in the Wolong Martial Sect.”
“But I do not mind.”
Chu Feng’s attitude remained firm.
Before Elder Ouyang Che could even finish speaking, he had already expressed his stance.
But those people clearly were not ready to give up. They began trying to persuade him one after another.
Not only the two remaining elders from the Eastern Dragon Courtyard, but also the elders from the Western Tiger Courtyard and the Southern Sparrow Courtyard started openly and subtly advising Chu Feng.
All of them wanted to try their luck and see if they could take Chu Feng as a disciple.
Yet Chu Feng’s resolve never wavered.
Seeing that recruiting Chu Feng was hopeless, those elders could only leave.
“Chu Feng, are you really determined to enter my Northern Xuan Courtyard?”
After those elders had departed, Elder Dao Qinian from the Northern Xuan Courtyard asked.
He asked this because Chu Feng had rejected invitations from three courtyards.
In the current situation, unless Chu Feng changed his mind, the only option left for him was the Northern Xuan Courtyard.
“Elder Dao, Chu Feng has made up his mind and will not change it.”
Chu Feng replied.
“Good, very good.”
“I like disciples like you.”
A completely undisguised joy appeared on Dao Qinian’s face.
Although Chu Feng had no intention of taking him as master, being able to recruit a disciple like Chu Feng into the Northern Xuan Courtyard was, in his view, already a tremendous piece of good fortune.
Because what the Northern Xuan Courtyard lacked least right now was disciples.
But what it severely lacked were disciples with talent like Chu Feng’s.
“Chu Feng, the one who recruited you here was also Elder Duan Liufeng.”
“He will receive a reward from the sect for bringing you into the Wolong Martial Sect.”
“Based on your talent test result, he would receive a lower-grade reward.”
“But based on your cultivation level, he could actually receive an upper-grade reward.”
“However, this upper-grade reward would actually be useful to you as well.”
“So you can decide whether to keep it for yourself or give it to him.”
“But if I am not mistaken, you will definitely give it to Elder Duan.”
Dao Qinian asked Chu Feng.
“Elder Dao, you understand me well.”
Chu Feng replied.
“Hahaha… Anyone with the courage to reject an invitation from the Eastern Dragon Courtyard would naturally not be greedy for such a small thing.”
“Since that is the case, then come with me back to the Northern Xuan Courtyard.”
“Later, I will send someone to deliver the reward to Elder Duan.”
“I will also inform him of your wish to take him as your master.”
“But whether he will agree or not depends entirely on him.”
“In truth, quite a few disciples have heard about Elder Duan and wanted to take him as their master, but all of them were rejected by him.”
“So… becoming his disciple is not an easy thing.”
“After all… he once dominated the Wolong Martial Sect. In the end, he is different from ordinary people and possesses proud bones.”
“Even if he rejects you, you must understand.”
After saying this, Dao Qinian led the many disciples towards the Northern Xuan Courtyard.
The other disciples simply followed by flying through the air, but Chu Feng was invited by Dao Qinian to ride together with him on his mount, the spirit crane.
Chu Feng did not refuse such a warm invitation.
“Elder Dao, from what I heard in the words of those elders earlier, it seems Elder Duan has some stories behind him. May I ask if you can tell this disciple about him?”
Chu Feng asked curiously.
“You… still do not know about Elder Duan’s affairs?”
Dao Qinian looked at Chu Feng with some surprise.
“This disciple truly does not know.”
Chu Feng answered honestly.
“That is strange then. If you do not even understand him, why do you want to take him as your master?”
“As a new disciple, you should logically choose a master who can support and protect you, right?”
Dao Qinian suddenly felt a little confused.
In his opinion, if Chu Feng knew about Duan Liufeng’s past and wanted to take a gamble by betting on him, that would still be understandable.
But Chu Feng apparently did not know anything about Duan Liufeng’s past at all. He really could not understand Chu Feng’s thinking.
“Just now, we were placed on that plaza like goods, left for the elders of the four courtyards to pick and choose.”
“If this disciple had not displayed strength, no one would have given me a second glance. I would even have become someone that Hua Xu could bully at will in his eyes.”
“Although after I revealed my strength, all the elders began to look at me differently and wanted to take me as a disciple, it was already too late by then.”
“If, back when this disciple had not yet shown strength, there had been an elder willing to uphold justice, even if that elder was only from the Northern Xuan Courtyard, this disciple would still have been willing to take him as master.”
Chu Feng said.
“I understand now. You are a disciple with principles.”
“So you do not place so much importance on strength. You simply want to find a master who has justice in his heart.”
“But Chu Feng, in the world of martial cultivators, strength reigns supreme. Everything must be spoken with strength. You have your own choice, but there is actually no need to blame those elders from earlier.”
Dao Qinian said to Chu Feng.
“This disciple does not blame those elders.”
“It is just that none of them truly wanted this disciple to become their disciple.”
“This disciple is not so noble either. I do care about strength to some extent.”
“The world of cultivation is so dangerous. Naturally, this disciple also wants someone to protect me.”
“However, fate is sometimes something that cannot be explained clearly.”
“Although Elder Duan’s strength is not strong now, the first time this disciple saw him, I felt that he was a very good person.”
Chu Feng said.
“Elder Duan is truly a man with a bitter fate.”
Dao Qinian let out a long sigh.
Then he began to tell Chu Feng about Duan Liufeng’s story.
It turned out that three thousand years ago, Duan Liufeng had entered the Wolong Martial Sect.
With his extraordinary talent, he quickly became one of the most outstanding disciples in the sect.
Not long after, he even claimed the top position among the disciples of Wolong at that time.
Back then, no disciple in the Wolong Martial Sect shone brighter than him.
Based on his performance at the time, he could have been groomed as the successor to the position of sect master of the Wolong Martial Sect.
In fact, the sect master of the Wolong Martial Sect truly intended to take him as a personal closed-door disciple.
So the sect master carefully prepared a trial for Duan Liufeng.
But in that trial, Duan Liufeng failed. Not only did he fail, but he also suffered severe injuries.
If the sect master had not personally intervened to treat him, Duan Liufeng would have lost his life.
Although he later survived, his cultivation not only regressed but also became extremely difficult to recover.
Even though his cultivation had fallen, Duan Liufeng’s character did not change. In the Eastern Dragon Courtyard, he offended many people and was eventually expelled from it, becoming an outer courtyard member.
As he grew older, he eventually obtained the position of elder.
But people of the outer courtyard, whether elders or disciples, were merely at the very bottom of the sect.
