Translator: AnubisTL
"Boss Gu, I finally found you!"
A familiar voice reached Gu Feng's ears. Turning around, he saw Sima Juncong, whom he hadn't seen in a long time.
"The sun must be rising from the west! You're not driving your flashy 'Hundred Birds Glazed Carriage'?"
"Don't even mention it. I ran into a disgusting guy and lost the mood to drive!" Sima Juncong grumbled.
Hearing this, Gu Feng's curiosity was piqued. Anyone who could make Sima Juncong feel disgusted must have an extraordinary status and strength.
After all, ordinary people didn't have the qualifications to disgust him, and even if they did, they'd likely be beaten to a pulp by now.
"Who is it? Tell me, and I'll teach him a lesson for you!" Gu Feng said cheerfully.
"Forget it, you're no match for him," Sima Juncong replied, somewhat dejected.
"Is it one of the examinees?"
"Yes!"
"Then it's settled. As long as it's an examinee, there's no one I can't teach a lesson to!" Gu Feng declared confidently. He wasn't exaggerating. Currently, the Three-Mouth Incense Burner contained Divine Fluid generated from 60 billion Low-grade Spirit Stones. Once he broke through to the Spirit Nurturing Realm, he could instantly elevate his cultivation to the sixth level of Spirit Nurturing.
With his cultivation at the sixth level of Spirit Nurturing, he feared no one within the Spirit Nurturing Realm, except for a few exceptionally powerful peak-level cultivators.
"If you can beat him up, I'll hand over my 'Hundred Birds Glazed Carriage' to you!" Sima Juncong said, pursing his lips and pointing toward the stage. "That's him, the one speaking right now!"
Gu Feng narrowed his eyes, a faint emerald glow flickering in his pupils as he carefully observed the cultivator Sima Juncong had pointed out.
His eyes stung slightly. What domineering Spiritual Power! What a formidable physique! The man gave off the aura of an indestructible spear.
"Is he a spear user?"
"Yes, he's known as the West Border Spear King! The son of the West Border Grand Marshal—Dugu Ao!" Sima Juncong said, casting a disdainful glance toward the stage.
From Gu Feng's assessment, Dugu Ao, at the peak of the third level of Spirit Nurturing, could likely defeat ordinary fifth-level Spirit Nurturing cultivators. He was one of the strongest contenders in the first Spirit Nurturing examination hall.
"How did you end up on bad terms with him?" Gu Feng asked curiously. Sima Juncong and Dugu Ao were both sons of border grand marshals, with similar ages and statuses. They should have been friends.
"People have different aspirations, and we just don't see eye to eye. It's been ten years since we last met, and I didn't expect to see him here. The moment he saw me, he started mocking me, saying I've lost my ambition... that I'm spineless and don't even dare to take the exam!
I have a guaranteed admission. Is there a problem with not wanting to take the exam?" Sima Juncong said indignantly.
"No problem at all. If it weren't for the money, I'd also be holding onto my guaranteed admission and watching the world go by!" Gu Feng replied with a smile. If it weren't for the 50 billion, he wouldn't have come to take the exam even if he were beaten to death.
Gu Feng fully agreed with Sima Juncong's philosophy: If you can get guaranteed admission, why bother with the exam?
"Don't worry, once I enter the examination hall, I'll help you vent your anger!"
"That's great! I'll wait here for a month until you come out, and then I'll go mock Dugu Ao again!" Sima Juncong chuckled. He had complete trust in Gu Feng and believed he had the ability to help him vent his frustration.
The examinee representative's speech was dull and lengthy, and Gu Feng was on the verge of dozing off when suddenly, the words "Sunset Glow Sect" were mentioned from the stage.
At first, Gu Feng thought he had misheard, tilting his ear to listen carefully, only to realize that someone had indeed mentioned the Sunset Glow Sect in their speech.
The Blazing Light Sect cultivator who was speaking had every muscle in his body filled with terrifying and awe-inspiring power, clearly a master of Body Refinement.
"Some sects! Their strength is mediocre, yet they puff themselves up, using Breakthrough Pills to help a group of old men break through to the Spirit Nurturing Realm, coming to the exam to make up the numbers, seriously affecting the quality of this year's candidates and dragging down the average level!"
"I suggest that future exams set an age limit to prevent any Tom, Dick, or Harry from joining in the fun!"
"These are just some of my thoughts, and I don't mean to target any particular sect!"
"..."
"Who is he?" Gu Feng asked with a smile, turning to the cultivator beside him.
"I know, he's the peerless genius of the Blazing Light Sect—Duan Yansheng, at the peak of the third level of the Spirit Nurturing Realm, who has nurtured a 'North Darkness Mystic Tortoise' with the bloodline of the Black Tortoise. His defense is invincible, and his attacks are overwhelmingly powerful. He once killed a fifth-level Spirit Nurturing Realm cultivator with a single punch!"
Shan Feier appeared out of nowhere, recounting Duan Yansheng's achievements as if she were reading from a book.
"I heard that even geniuses of the same level rarely dare to take his punches head-on!"
"Isn't your Wind Cloud Pavilion recording the events on the stage? Why are you here?" Gu Feng asked in surprise.
"My teammates are up there because they're responsible for the sects on the stage. I'm specifically in charge of your Sunset Glow Sect, so I'm here!" Shan Feier said cheerfully, her eyes occasionally glancing toward the stage with a hint of envy.
"Well, not bad! It's only been a few days, and you're already in charge of a sect on your own?" Gu Feng gave a thumbs-up in praise, causing the latter's face to flush red.
On the stage, Duan Yansheng finished his speech, and an unexpected scene unfolded. The next Heaven's Chosen to speak also took aim at the Sunset Glow Sect, and his words were quite harsh.
Wu Qi and the others were filled with indignation, ready to rush up and argue with the speaker, while Gu Feng remained calm and composed. Verbal attacks were common; he had seen them often in sports competitions in his previous life.
In the end, it all comes down to strength. Empty words are meaningless. We'll see the results in a month.
For the next period, the stage turned into a denouncement session against the Sunset Glow Sect.
The elderly cultivators beside Gu Feng were red-faced, their beards and eyebrows trembling with anger.
"Boss, aren't you going to say something to counter them?" Sima Juncong whispered.
"I can fight a hundred people, but counter a hundred people? What are you thinking? Let them talk," Gu Feng said indifferently.
On the stage, the Heaven's Chosen exchanged words, creating quite a lively scene that had clearly deviated from the original topic of the speeches.
Ouyang Qi and his subordinates, who were responsible for maintaining order at the exam, watched the spectacle with amusement, showing no intention of intervening.
"I heard that the Sunset Glow Sect has someone named Gu Feng, who's quite strong, but he's still in the Innate Realm!"
"Apparently, he hasn't broken through in half a year. Being the best in the Innate Realm is just so-so!"
"A coward like that doesn't deserve to come and take the exam!" Dugu Ao said coldly.
"Being the best in the Innate Realm isn't bad. At least there's still hope of winning the top spot in the Innate Realm exam!
If he really breaks through to the Spirit Nurturing Realm and enters the Spirit Nurturing exam, only to fail, wouldn't that be a laughingstock!" Zong Shixuan, the peerless prodigy of the Blazing Light Sect, added with a cutting remark!
"I thought Cloud Prefecture had produced a remarkable figure. His name has been ringing in my ears these past few days, but I never expected him to be such a disappointment!" Hua Wenyue of the Flower Sect sneered.
"Ah—the Sunset Glow Sect, oh, I forgot, small sects like theirs don't even have the right to take the stage!" a Heaven's Chosen from the Mystic Feather Helm said sarcastically.
"Hahaha—" The entire hall of examinees burst into laughter, their mocking gazes fixed on the Sunset Glow Sect.
"Wasn't Gu Feng quite arrogant before? Why is he so silent now?"
"Sect Leader Gu, why don't you share some of your classic quotes? The first time I heard 'All of you here are trash, not a single one of you can fight,' I was truly shocked. Such eloquence! No wonder you became a sect leader. I have to admit, I'm impressed!"
"If you ask me, the most classic line was, 'The strength of the various sects is not weak. The competition for the second place in the Spirit Nurturing examination will be exceptionally fierce!' Truly iconic.
I thought he was really going to the Spirit Nurturing examination, but he's still in the Innate Realm!"
"The Sunset Glow Sect is full of hidden talents. Five hundred elders in the Spirit Nurturing Realm, invincible in the examination hall. Who dares to say they can't do it before the exam is over?"
"Hahaha, sorry, my mistake!"
"Esteemed seniors, there's still some time before the exam. Why don't you showcase the 'Iron Shovels,' 'Hammers,' and 'Rocking Chairs' you've nurtured? Let's all have a good laugh!"
"And that piece of white cloth, truly bizarre. It's perfect for wrapping up your own remains!"
"I think I ate something wrong this morning, I'm feeling a bit queasy. Senior who nurtured the 'Wooden Bucket,' could you kindly offer your Spirit Nurturing artifact so I can relieve myself?"
"Hahaha!"
The entire hall was in an uproar of laughter. Among the disciples of the Sunset Glow Sect, except for Chu Youhuan, Yan Yexue, and a few others who maintained their composure, everyone else was seething with anger, their fists clenched tightly.
This was utterly humiliating. If it weren't for Gu Feng's silence, they would have charged at those cultivators in a frenzy.
Seeing the Sunset Glow Sect rendered speechless, the examinees grew even more brazen. Some of the more uncouth cultivators even began whistling and teasing the female disciples of the Sunset Glow Sect.
For a moment, the sounds of whistling, laughter, mockery, and teasing filled the air, echoing through the mountains without end.
"Boss Gu, just say the word, and we'll abandon the exam right now. Let's fight until the heavens and earth are overturned!" Chao Yuan shouted in anger.
"That's right, forget the exam. We can always cultivate in the Sunset Glow Sect. The environment there is quite good too," Wu Qi said through gritted teeth.
"Let's kill them all, even if it means we all get disqualified!" Tuoba Lei also spoke up.
"We're not taking the exam anymore!"
"Let's beat them up and return to the Sunset Glow Sect!"
"..."
Gu Feng remained calm, looking at everyone with a bitter smile and shaking his head. "What nonsense are you spouting? There are a million examinees. Can we fight them all? Calm down and treat it as the barking of dogs!
Leave the rest to me!"
With that, Gu Feng stepped forward.
"What are you doing?" Chu Youhuan grabbed Gu Feng's sleeve and asked in a low voice.
Beside her, Yan Yexue and Yan Xixi also reached out to stop Gu Feng, but sensing something amiss, they quickly withdrew their hands.
The two sisters exchanged a glance, as if some secret had been exposed in that instant.
"I'm going up to the stage to reason with them," Gu Feng said with a light laugh.
"Reason with what? There are over a hundred cultivators up there!"
"With my physique, I'll have a word with them!" Gu Feng smiled mysteriously, gently patting Chu Youhuan's arm as he walked toward the stage.
Chu Youhuan was stunned for a moment but quickly regained her composure. A stunning smile curved her lips as she whispered something to the people beside her. In an instant, the disciples of the Sunset Glow Sect began to retreat away from the stage.
As Gu Feng approached slowly, the Heaven's Chosen on the stage looked down at him with arrogance and disdain, their eyes filled with contempt!
What was an Innate Realm cultivator doing coming up here?
To argue with a group of Spirit Nurturing Third Layer Heaven's Chosen?
Ridiculous!
He was only humiliating himself!
(End of the Chapter)
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