The young talents gathered at the Illusory Sea Manor on Liuren Mountain all possessed status, background, and cultivation. Each was a top-tier genius in their own region, proud and arrogant, none willing to submit to another. They had always been engaged in covert and overt struggles, and now that they were gathered together, comparisons and one-upmanship were inevitable.
Some were relatively better, maintaining a low profile and not being too ostentatious.
However, some had been showing off and flaunting themselves incessantly since arriving at this garden. The one currently making the biggest splash was Kang Zhengqi.
He was one of the Nine Spirits of the Fengyun Branch Hall, boasting a powerful background and possessing the Ninefold Flowing Color of the Great Natural Order. He absolutely deserved the title of genius.
But today, the majority of the geniuses from the Liuli Great Region were gathered here. Among them, there were ten or twenty who possessed the Ninefold Flowing Color, and some of those had even reached the second, third, or even fourth-stage great perfection of the Ninefold Flowing Color. Compared to them, his first-stage Ninefold Flowing Color was somewhat lacking. Moreover, his cultivation wasn't particularly outstanding either; although he had transcended the ordinary, he was only at the twelfth revolution of the Golden Core.
Such cultivation could only be considered average among this group of exceptional geniuses. Furthermore, with a goddess like Lan Feier present in the Fengyun Branch Hall, his presence was relatively diminished. That wasn't the most important point, however. The crucial thing was that a year ago, he had been defeated by Zhuo Feng, and because of this, he had never been able to hold his head high.
Yet.
Just moments ago in the pavilion, he had used his Ninefold Flowing Color's Great Natural Order aura to intimidate Gu Qingfeng to the point where the latter could barely stand steady. This had allowed him to show off spectacularly and earn a great deal of face.
Gu Qingfeng's mysterious and bizarre nature, his rampant tyranny in the Yanyang Great Domain—defeating Jingtao, killing Long Fei—could be described as utterly arrogant. Coupled with the fact that both Old Sen of Chixu Manor and Patriarch Bingxuan had knelt before him, Gu Qingfeng had always been shrouded in a veil of mystery. No one had ever known his true strength.
Zhuo Feng, the renowned leader of the Nine Young Masters of the Huoyun Branch Hall, hadn't even dared to make a move when facing Gu Qingfeng.
But he, Kang Zhengqi, had personally torn away this veil of mystery from Gu Qingfeng in front of all the major sects, using his own Ninefold Flowing Color's Great Natural Order aura.
This greatly satisfied Kang Zhengqi's vanity. After all, he had lost to Zhuo Feng a year ago. Now, Zhuo Feng didn't dare to act, but he did. Not only did he dare, but he also intimidated Gu Qingfeng to the point of unsteadiness. In a sense, he had also trampled Zhuo Feng underfoot.
Under such circumstances, Kang Zhengqi was naturally extremely pleased with himself.
While showing off, he didn't forget to mock Zhuo Feng.
"If Feier hadn't stopped me at the time, I would definitely have made that nouveau riche surnamed Gu kneel before me!"
Kang Zhengqi stood with his hands behind his back, his face radiant with pride as he said disdainfully, "I, Kang Zhengqi, am not like a certain someone who talks big but can't deliver—saying he'll make that nouveau riche kneel and apologize, demanding tenfold repayment, only to end up not even daring to make a move when he sees the nouveau riche. It's a complete disgrace to our Chizi Head."
Not far away, Zhuo Feng sat with the other young masters of the Huoyun Branch Hall. His expression was unpleasant, downright ugly. And it wasn't just him; the other young masters were also very embarrassed. The incident in the Black-Raven Secret Realm had already damaged the reputation of their Huoyun Branch Hall, and now Zhuo Feng's failure to act had made them lose even more face.
"Kang Zhengqi, don't talk nonsense! Zhuo Feng had other reasons for not acting at the time. It definitely wasn't a lack of courage!"
Jingtao stood up to defend him.
"Hmph!"
"Dare not means dare not! Don't make excuses!" Kang Zhengqi sneered. "Jingtao, anyone else can stand up for him, but not you. You were beaten by that nouveau riche surnamed Gu, and Zhuo Feng didn't even dare to stand up for you. If I hadn't stood up for you today, how would your Huoyun Branch Hall have the face to sit here!"
Jingtao's face also turned pale and then flushed. He lowered his head and said nothing more. He had originally hoped Zhuo Feng would stand up for him to regain some face, but he never expected...
This made him very unhappy too. He truly couldn't understand why Zhuo Feng, whose strength surpassed Kang Zhengqi's, didn't even dare to make a move against that nouveau riche surnamed Gu.
Many people present shared this confusion. They all knew Zhuo Feng also possessed the Ninefold Flowing Color and had a forty-five revolution Golden Core. In terms of strength, he was definitely stronger than Kang Zhengqi. They didn't know why he hadn't acted.
The crowd looked toward Zhuo Feng.
At this moment, Zhuo Feng sat upright, calmly drinking wine by himself, a faint, indifferent smile on his face. He raised a cup of fine wine, took a light sip, and said unhurriedly, "Kang Zhengqi, I advise you to know when to stop. Do you think I'm as impulsive as you? Heh, this is Liuren Mountain, and it's a banquet hosted by Elder Shi Tong. I didn't want to cause trouble for the Elder, that's all."
"Zhuo Feng! You really know how to make excuses for yourself! 'Didn't want to cause trouble for the Elder'?" Kang Zhengqi laughed coldly. "Don't think I don't know. When you faced that nouveau riche surnamed Gu, you were practically scared to death! Your face changed color, your eyes were full of fear! Many people were present and saw it with their own eyes."
"My face changed color? Eyes full of fear? Heh..." Zhuo Feng shook his head, looking very helpless. He smiled and said, "Kang Zhengqi, oh Kang Zhengqi, your imagination is too rich. A year ago, you were no match for me. A year later today, with my forty-five revolution Golden Core, you're even less of a match. If even you can intimidate that nouveau riche surnamed Gu, do you think I would be afraid? Truly laughable... utterly laughable."
Zhuo Feng's words gained the agreement of many. In their minds, Zhuo Feng's strength surpassed Kang Zhengqi's; there was simply no reason for him to fear that nouveau riche surnamed Gu.
"Laughable? It's you who's laughable! You saw how mysterious and bizarre that Gu Qingfeng was and simply didn't dare to act! You didn't dare, that's all! Don't try to quibble!" Kang Zhengqi glared fiercely at Zhuo Feng and shouted sharply, "I can intimidate that nouveau riche surnamed Gu, but that doesn't mean you can! Even though both of us possess the Ninefold Flowing Color, the Great Natural Order aura contained within each Flowing Color is different! Moreover, just because I wasn't your match a year ago doesn't mean I'm not your match a year later today!"
Zhuo Feng looked at him and smiled faintly. "Kang Zhengqi, you merely intimidated that nouveau riche surnamed Gu a little. You can do it, and so can anyone present who possesses the Ninefold Flowing Color. It's nothing to be proud of. I advise you to keep a lower profile, lest you become a laughingstock in front of others."
He appeared very calm, with an air of indifferent detachment. This infuriated Kang Zhengqi, who pointed at Zhuo Feng and shouted sharply, "Do you dare to compete with me right now?"
"What's the point... Kang Zhengqi, for the sake of us both being part of Chizi Head, I advise you to be humble. It's fine to be proud, but don't be arrogant, and certainly don't let it go to your head. Otherwise, your vanity will be your downfall sooner or later."
Zhuo Feng's tone was placid, as if he couldn't be bothered to stoop to Kang Zhengqi's level.