Had Gu Qingfeng dared to utter such arrogant words before this moment, the young masters of the Thirty-Six Huage Pavilions would have struck without hesitation, let alone the Ten Little Hidden Dragons.
However, the earlier scene of the three reincarnated great powers—Senior Jin and the others—bowing to him had shocked everyone present. It forced them to carefully consider whether Gu Qingfeng's existence was truly formidable or merely an elaborate bluff.
No one knew for sure, and no one dared to act rashly.
Especially given the casual, utterly relaxed and composed demeanor Gu Qingfeng naturally exuded at this moment—it was truly difficult to gauge.
"What's the matter? Too scared?"
Gu Qingfeng sat in his chair, legs crossed, pouring himself a cup of wine from his flask. He lifted his gaze to the crowd and said indifferently, "Weren't you all swaggering about quite impressively just now? Why have you all turned cowardly?"
He took a light sip from his cup and continued, "Since I'm in a good mood today, I'll give you all a chance to show off. Come on."
Given Gu Qingfeng's previous record of annihilating Nascent Soul experts, ordinary cultivators didn't dare make a move. Their eyes turned to the Ten Little Hidden Dragons and the young masters of the Thirty-Six Huage Pavilions. However, the Hidden Dragons and Pavilion young masters were all frowning, hesitant and uncertain. They glanced at each other, none daring to be the first to act, all waiting for someone else to make the initial probing move.
"You're all a bunch of spineless cowards!"
Finally, Heir Apparent Disciple Tu Gao of the Seven Stars Sect stepped forward. He cast a disdainful glance at Huo Dong, Ma Zhengtian, and the others, sneering a sarcastic remark. Then, fixing his gaze on Gu Qingfeng, he declared haughtily, "You surnamed Gu! This young master refuses to believe you're truly that powerful!"
As his voice fell, Tu Gao's figure instantly appeared opposite Gu Qingfeng. He stood with his hands clasped behind his back, radiant light shimmering around him as torrential Spiritual Power erupted forth—revealing his cultivation at the Nine-Transform Nascent Soul realm.
Each transformation in the Nascent Soul realm represented a leap to a higher heaven. The might of the ninth transformation was exceptionally fierce. When unleashed, everyone nearby could feel the immense pressure contained within the Spiritual Power.
Though Tu Gao was arrogant by nature, he was no fool. Gu Qingfeng's mystery made him inwardly wary. Therefore, he did not attack directly. Instead, he unleashed his Nascent Soul Spiritual Power in a suppressive probe. This was a tactical move of advancing by retreating—probing first before striking. If the situation turned unfavorable, he could withdraw at any time, avoiding both humiliation and death.
Typically, if one side used Spiritual Power to suppress, the other would inevitably unleash their own Spiritual Power to resist.
After all, Tu Gao's cultivation was at the Nine-Transform Nascent Soul level. Even without employing any immortal arts, its power was terrifying.
As long as the opponent unleashed their Spiritual Power, their depth would be revealed.
However, to everyone's astonishment, when Tu Gao unleashed his Nine-Transform Nascent Soul cultivation to suppress, Gu Qingfeng not only failed to release any Spiritual Power to resist, he remained seated there, pouring and drinking wine as before.
Even more bizarrely, Tu Gao's Nine-Transform Nascent Soul Spiritual Power seemed...
Seemed to have absolutely no effect on him whatsoever.
Yes.
None at all, not even a trace.
He simply sat there, drinking his wine. Tu Gao's vast and powerful Nine-Transform Spiritual Power enveloped him like a tornado, yet his face showed no flush, his breathing remained even, his sleeves undisturbed, his hair unmoved—as if Tu Gao's Nine-Transform Spiritual Power simply didn't exist.
How could this be?
Witnessing this scene, everyone present was shocked and erupted into murmurs, some even unable to believe their own eyes. For everyone knew that even someone with an innate Treasure Body, plus a Color Spirit true body, could not remain completely unaffected when enveloped by Nine-Transform Spiritual Power. Moreover, Gu Qingfeng possessed neither a Treasure Body nor a Color Spirit true body, nor even any protective magical treasures. How could he...
No one knew the reason.
"You!"
Tu Gao was also greatly alarmed, but he did not withdraw. Suddenly, multicolored radiance blossomed from his body—like wind, like fire, like thunder, like lightning, sweeping forth like a violent storm.
This was a Color Spirit.
And moreover, a Color Spirit of the ninth level of the Great Natural Order.
How powerful was the might of a ninth-level Great Natural Order Color Spirit? No one was unaware. Furthermore, Tu Gao's ninth-level Great Natural Order Color Spirit was a Five-Realm Color Spirit, containing a full forty-five layers of Great Natural Order might. Its ferocity was imaginable. Once unleashed, within a ten-meter radius, wind and rain raged, lightning flashed and thunder roared, as if doomsday had arrived.
Yet, to everyone's surprise, that Gu Qingfeng remained seated in his chair, unmoved. His face showed no flush, his breathing remained even, his sleeves undisturbed, his hair unmoved.
This was a Five-Realm, ninth-level Great Natural Order Color Spirit! Containing a full forty-five layers of Great Natural Order might! How could he remain completely unaffected?
Unknown. No one understood.
They only felt it was utterly bizarre.
Opposite him, Gu Qingfeng glanced at him and said with mild indifference, "If this is all you've got, I can't be bothered to fight you. Step down on your own."
"I refuse to believe I, Tu Gao, cannot handle you!"
Flushing with anger and shame, Tu Gao instantly condensed two more powerful forces around his body. One resembled blazing meteors, the other resembled a Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams diagram. Everyone knew the blazing meteors were the power of a Treasure Body, while the Yin-Yang Eight Trigrams power was the legendary Tai Xuan Seed, said to be nurtured from the Tai Xuan Monument.
It was clear Tu Gao was now going all out. Nine-Transform Nascent Soul, Five-Realm ninth-level Great Natural Order Color Spirit, Meteor Treasure Body, plus the Tai Xuan Seed—he unleashed every ounce of his attainment without exception. Such terrifying power—whether among the young masters of the Thirty-Six Huage Pavilions, the Ten Little Hidden Dragons, or even the dozen or so Nascent Soul old monsters present—none could say with absolute certainty they could withstand it.
Yes.
They lacked that confidence.
For everyone could see clearly how immensely powerful Tu Gao's all-out unleashing of his mastery was. So powerful that even the dozen or so Nascent Soul old monsters nearby were affected and had to unleash their own Spiritual Power to resist. They resisted, they were astonished, they were horrified.
They were resisting Tu Gao's formidable power, but their horror and astonishment were directed at the white-clothed man within the arena.
After Tu Gao unleashed such immense power, the ground within a ten-meter radius was crushed into desert-like ruins. The air was completely squeezed away, the surrounding area becoming a complete vacuum. Yet, the white-clothed man still sat quietly in his chair, unhurriedly pouring and drinking wine. His hair remained unmoved, his sleeves still undisturbed. From beginning to end, he sat just like that, not even frowning once throughout.
It was as if the formidable power Tu Gao unleashed with all his might wasn't suppressing him, but someone else. He remained completely unaffected.
"Any other tricks up your sleeve?"
Gu Qingfeng picked up his wine cup, took a sip, and swept a light glance at Tu Gao. "If you have any, bring them all out."
Other tricks?
Where would Tu Gao have other tricks?
He stood there, his face alternating between livid and pale, eyes wide as he stared at Gu Qingfeng as if beholding a ghost or deity, utterly horrified. Not a word, not a syllable could he utter.
"Do you plan to keep probing, or what?"
Gu Qingfeng's tone was very flat, so flat it betrayed no joy, anger, sorrow, or happiness, as if chatting casually with a friend. "If you're continuing, I'll wait for you. If not, then step aside and cool off, make room for someone else to come up."