At the edge of the field, Chen Chen returned to the rest area, his steps somewhat heavy. Before he could even stand firm, a large group of junior disciples anxiously surrounded him.
"Senior Brother Chen, are you alright? Were you injured?" a young junior sister with a youthful face spoke first, her words filled with concern.
Chen Chen looked at everyone's concerned expressions. His heart warmed, and he shook his head slightly, saying softly, "Fortunately, Elder Gu Lin intervened. I am not injured."
His voice was somewhat calm, but it also carried the relief of having survived a close call.
"Senior Brother Chen, even though you lost the match, in this junior brother's heart, you are forever the strongest." Another junior brother looked at Chen Chen with a steadfast gaze, his words earnest.
Chen Chen managed a slight smile. It was somewhat bitter, but held even more unwillingness.
He paused, then said, "Victory and defeat are common in warfare, but I..."
The words reached his lips but seemed to get caught in his throat. A trace of desolation flashed in his eyes as Lu Feng's final move surfaced in his mind again.
That overwhelming soul power pressure was unavoidable. That powerful shock, like a mountain crashing down... even if it happened again, he had no confidence he could withstand it.
"My skills were still inferior. It seems my cultivation is still lacking."
On the other side, Lu Feng and Ning Ya were also surrounded by a dense crowd.
Everyone was chattering, discussing animatedly. No one had expected that the 'Eldest Senior Brother' of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan would actually lose. Furthermore, the one who defeated him was an unknown Soul Ancestor.
"This senior brother, may I ask your name?" a disciple with a fervent gaze asked.
"My name is Lu Feng. I am not a disciple of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan." Lu Feng replied calmly, not feeling the slightest bit of awkwardness for being an outsider.
"Senior Brother Lu, that last move of yours was so cool! It even made the Elder personally step in."
"Senior Brother Lu, how do you usually cultivate?"
The disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan were very enthusiastic, one question after another.
"Senior Brother, are you and Senior Sister Ning in a relationship?" It's unknown which fellow suddenly blurted this out.
In an instant, a cheer erupted from the crowd.
"Senior Brother, when did you and Senior Sister meet?"
"Senior Brother, did you challenge Senior Brother Chen Chen because you're pursuing Senior Sister Ning?"
The questions came one after another, growing increasingly absurd, gradually straying completely from the original topic.
Lu Feng was somewhat overwhelmed by this barrage of questions. He helplessly pulled Ning Ya, and they pushed their way through the crowd. After finally breaking free from the lively yet overly enthusiastic disciples, they quickly left the spirit battle arena.
The two walked quickly, soon reaching a deserted corner on the first floor.
"Young Master Lu, it seems you are quite popular," Ning Ya couldn't help but cover her mouth and giggle.
Her eyes sparkled with playful mirth, as bright and captivating as the warm spring sun.
"Haha, the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan is truly too enthusiastic." Lu Feng raised his hand to straighten his slightly messy clothes. He looked a bit disheveled; his hair had been mussed up, and his clothes were slightly wrinkled.
"The Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan loves making friends. Young Master Lu can stay for a while longer. I believe you will definitely like it here," Ning Ya looked at Lu Feng sincerely, her eyes full of expectation.
Lu Feng smiled faintly, his smile holding a hint of polite distance. "We'll see."
On the viewing platform, Ning Fengzhi, Chen Xin, and Gu Rong stood against the wind.
Ning Fengzhi watched the two who had escaped the crowd, his eyes flickering. He stroked his chin and said, "Two Elders, what are your thoughts on this person, Lu Feng?"
The Bone Douluo mused, "His talent is high, and he can fight above his level. Among all the disciples in the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan, not one can compare to him in terms of cultivation talent."
"I really don't know how this kid cultivates," the Bone Douluo added.
The disciples of the Seven Treasure Glazed Tile Clan had only one task before the age of twenty: cultivate their soul power.
Top-tier meditation methods.
Personal guidance in combat techniques from clan elders.
Soul beast meat to nourish their bodies.
Simulated training environments...
All kinds of resources are poured into them to ensure the disciples under the clan receive the best development.
And now, a brat has suddenly popped up and hammered the 'Eldest Senior Brother' of the clan's younger generation. The most crucial part is, this person is merely of commoner origin.
The hearts of the three men were filled with emotion.
Chen Xin frowned, saying with some uncertainty, "According to the investigation, this person stayed at the Imperial Academy for a while. Could he be one of Heaven Dou's upper echelon?"
Chen Xin recalled how Lu Feng and Crown Prince Xue Qinghe had been talking so cheerfully in the auction house. They were so unrestrained with each other; anyone with eyes could see they must have known each other for a long time.
"You sword-maniac, your information is outdated. I heard that when the kid was at the academy, he was very close to Dugu Yan. He's probably one of the Dugu family's."
Chen Xin nodded upon hearing this. "Looking at his carefree personality, he is somewhat similar to Dugu Bo. No wonder that old poison freak took a liking to him."
The Bone Douluo snorted coldly, "Just based on the kid's cultivation talent, if I had a granddaughter, I would tie him up and bring him over."
The corner of Chen Xin's mouth turned up in a sneer. "With your ugly face, if you had a granddaughter, she probably wouldn't be able to get married off. You'd definitely have to tie the groom up."
Hearing this, the Bone Douluo's face instantly flushed red, and he craned his neck. "You sword-maniac, I'm going to duel you!"
"Hmph, bring it on! As if I'm afraid of you!"
As their voices fell, their bodies turned into two streaks of light and disappeared from the viewing platform.
Seeing this, Ning Fengzhi couldn't help but sigh. "These two elders... ai, so old, yet still so restless."
His gaze turned to the disciples sparring on the field below, and his expression quickly returned to calm.
"Shrek Academy... Star Luo Zhu Family... Heaven Dou Imperial Academy..." Ning Fengzhi muttered the names, his eyes flickering.
According to the information he had received, Lu Feng came from an ordinary small village. After graduating from Nuoding Academy, he had traveled alone to train.
Later, he joined the Spirit Arena and became a host. It was just unknown why he had suddenly appeared in the Heaven Dou Imperial Academy.
"Such a talent... even if he cannot join the clan, we must try our best to win him over." Ning Fengzhi sighed to himself.
Just as the Bone Douluo said, if an ordinary person was unwilling to join the clan, they had plenty of methods.
Beauty, wealth, power, threats...
But using this set of tactics on Lu Feng was somewhat inappropriate.
Not to mention Lu Feng's mysterious background, just based on that pile of weapons he brought to the clan, Ning Fengzhi must treat him with respect and courtesy, and could not coerce him in any way.
Otherwise, if this matter got out, the benevolent image Ning Fengzhi had cultivated for half his life would fall apart overnight.
"Maybe I can go ask Rongrong. I heard she had a good relationship with that girl from the Zhu family when she was at the academy."