Chapter 60

Zhao Linlong's demonstration was nothing short of spectacular.

Putting aside the glory of being the most accomplished among his peers, every martial art he possessed made the young men of Yuyang City look up to him in awe.

Compared to the time of the Genius Summit, his Cloud Shuttle Finger technique had improved, and his Shadow Step movement technique was nearing perfection.

It turned out that after the setback at the Genius Summit, Zhao Linlong became even more determined. He trained hard these days, treating Xin Wuheng and Zhao Feng as his imaginary enemies.

Under such immense pressure, his strength naturally improved significantly. Even some veteran Sixth Level experts might not be his match.

"Very good."

The patriarch, Zhao Cangtian, and a few others exchanged glances and nodded secretly.

In their view, as a young man, Zhao Linlong's strength was truly commendable.

They couldn't help but focus on the expression of "Master Ye."

However, Master Ye remained expressionless, with no trace of surprise or excitement in his eyes.

"Master Ye, what do you think?"

Zhao Cangtian couldn't help but ask.

If his adopted son Zhao Linlong could be favored by the Guangling Prefecture, he would surely rise to prominence. Then, the entire Zhao clan would benefit, sweeping through Yuyang City and becoming the strongest hegemon, which would only be a matter of time.

After the patriarch spoke, the eyes of the elders also showed anticipation.

Their gazes were filled with eagerness.

"Average."

Master Ye said indifferently.

Average?

These three words hit Zhao Cangtian and the others like a heavy hammer.

How could it be... average?

The elders were shocked and questioned in their hearts.

"Average?"

Zhao Linlong's face turned red, then green.

At this moment, he was filled with suppressed anger.

As the most accomplished genius in Yuyang City, his evaluation in the eyes of the other party was merely average.

"Right, Linlong! Didn't you slightly comprehend a fragment of a Sacred Realm martial art?"

Zhao Cangtian reminded him.

A fragment of a Sacred Realm martial art!

Yes, that's right!

The eyes of the elders on the scene lit up, and they nodded in succession.

"Ha ha."

Master Ye smiled lightly, finally showing a hint of interest in his eyes.

"Yes, Father."

Zhao Linlong took a deep breath and slowly closed his eyes.

Suddenly, the aura around him changed in an unusual way.

His body and limbs slowly relaxed, and the martial arts inner strength flowed on the surface in a specific manner.

Whoosh!

A gust of wind enveloped Zhao Linlong, making his robe flutter.

At this moment, Zhao Linlong exuded an aura similar to that of Xin Wuheng on that day, but much dimmer, less than a tenth of the former's.

"Wind Following Stance!"

Zhao Linlong waved his arm, and a powerful gust of wind shook his robe.

Whoosh!

A circular wave of air swept several meters, and the sound of the sleeves flapping was like the roar of waves crashing against the shore.

The power of this casual wave was enough to shatter a stone stele, and few people below the Seventh Level of martial arts could withstand it without injury.

"Very good!"

Zhao Cangtian and the elders couldn't help but applaud in praise.

They weren't just putting on a show; they genuinely felt it from the bottom of their hearts.

Even with their status as martial arts masters, the fragments of Sacred Realm martial arts they could comprehend were not much stronger than Zhao Linlong's.

After a round of applause, the elders of the Zhao clan looked at Master Ye with eager anticipation.

This time, there should be no problem, right?

A smile also appeared at the corner of Zhao Linlong's mouth.

"This is the fragment of a Sacred Realm martial art you claim to have comprehended? Its true power is inferior to your top martial arts! You haven't even grasped the surface of a Sacred Realm martial art, just a superficial form!"

The cold and merciless voice echoed throughout the grand hall.

In an instant!

The grand hall of the Zhao clan fell into a dead silence.

Zhao Cangtian, Zhao Linlong, and others felt as if they had been doused with a bucket of cold water.

How could this be?

Zhao Linlong's breathing quickened, and he felt a bit不服 (unconvinced).

However, the man in the green robe sitting at the head of the hall was a Ninth Level expert, approaching the peak of martial arts in Xiangyun Kingdom.

Ninth Level of martial arts!

Even if they had a thousand reasons to be不服 (unconvinced), they had no courage to resist.

"The genius of the Zhao clan I am looking for is not him."

Master Ye said decisively.

At the Genius Summit that day, the two Guangjun Guards, though they didn't know the names of Zhao Feng and Xin Wuheng, described their talents and potential.

Their talents and potential were such that they could rank among the top five in Guangling Prefecture.

However, Zhao Linlong's performance, if placed in a higher-level prefecture, wouldn't even make the top twenty among his peers.

"Master, Linlong's cultivation is already the best among his peers in the Zhao clan."

Zhao Cangtian said with a hint of helplessness.

At this moment, the elders of the Zhao clan vaguely understood who the genius Master Ye was looking for.

And that person was precisely the young man from a lesser branch of the clan who had been neglected.

This was the reality Zhao Cangtian was most unwilling to accept.

After a moment of silence.

"Let all the young men in your clan who have reached the Fifth Level of cultivation come here."

Master Ye said.

Zhao Cangtian quickly agreed and sent someone to pass on the message.

Not long after.

Zhao Yufei, Zhao Feng, and Zhao Han arrived at the grand hall.

In the Zhao clan, there were five young men who had reached the Fifth Level of cultivation: Zhao Linlong, Zhao Feng, Zhao Yufei, Zhao Feng, and Zhao Han.

But today, only four of them were present.

Zhao Cangtian said solemnly, "This is Master Ye from Guangling Prefecture. Show your best, and if you are favored, you might be given an important role by the 'Guangling Prefecture.'"

Zhao Yufei and the other three immediately felt a bit nervous, with anticipation showing on their faces.

Compared to the Guangling Prefecture, the Zhao clan was just a small force, insignificant.

If they could be selected by the "Guangling Prefecture," their future achievements would be immeasurable.

The first to demonstrate was Zhao Han.

After he stepped onto the stage, a powerful and peculiar martial arts inner strength surged from his body, almost on par with the Sixth Level in terms of thickness and intensity.

"Relying on external forces to forcibly enhance one's realm is just a minor skill."

Master Ye shook his head.

Zhao Han left the stage dejectedly, his performance completely disappointing in Master Ye's eyes.

This scene made Zhao Linlong slightly relieved and even a bit smug.

Next, Zhao Feng stepped onto the stage.

"Very average, but your comprehension is勉强 (barely) acceptable."

This evaluation was slightly better.

Finally, it was Zhao Yufei's turn to demonstrate.

Zhao Yufei was the youngest among them. After stepping onto the stage, she quickly performed the top martial art, "Spirit Wind Slash."

With the assistance of the "Lingdu Qi Jue," her movements and techniques were agile and graceful, full of changes.

She also possessed a body-strengthening martial art that was not inferior to the "Iron Wall Technique."

With the combination of several martial arts, Zhao Yufei's demonstration had a unique charm.

Master Ye, who had always been expressionless, showed a hint of brightness in his eyes and nodded with a smile, "Not bad."

Not bad!

This was already the best evaluation so far.

Zhao Linlong's face immediately turned awkward.

In terms of strength and cultivation, he naturally surpassed Zhao Yufei.

But Zhao Yufei was only fourteen or fifteen years old, and her talent and potential were more appealing to Master Ye.

The elders of the Zhao clan looked somewhat surprised.

They hadn't expected that the one truly favored by Master Ye would be Zhao Yufei.

But upon reflection, it made sense. Zhao Yufei came from a lesser branch of the clan and had far fewer cultivation resources than Zhao Linlong.

Even under these circumstances, Zhao Yufei's achievements far exceeded Zhao Linlong's at the same age.

"She is still acceptable, but she doesn't seem to be the one in the intelligence report."

Master Ye's brows slightly furrowed.

Not good!

Zhao Cangtian and the others felt a sudden tension in their hearts.

And the next scene was the one they least wanted to see.

"Master, there is another genius in our clan who is even more talented than Yufei."

Zhao Yufei responded with a smile.

From the moment she entered the grand hall, she had been puzzled as to why Zhao Feng wasn't there.

Among those present, only she didn't know that Zhao Feng had been placed under house arrest by the clan, suspected of colluding with an enemy clan.

In this situation, everyone tacitly ignored Zhao Feng.

"Hmm, there's another one?"

Master Ye's expression turned slightly serious, and his gaze swept over Zhao Cangtian and the others.

Zhao Cangtian and the others felt a chill as if they had been cut by an invisible blade when Master Ye's gaze swept over them.

"Master, the situation is this... There is a young man in our clan who is suspected of betraying the clan—"

"Shut up!"

Master Ye's face showed anger, interrupting him and saying sternly, "I want that genius, regardless of whether he is a traitor in your eyes!"

The clear and bright voice echoed in the grand hall, as if it had a terrifying penetrating power.

The elders were shocked and trembled.

Zhao Linlong and the others felt a chill on their skin, as if they had been hit by a cold winter wind.

Just a moment of anger could bring them such pressure.

It was hard to imagine how high a Ninth Level of martial arts stood.

"Summon Zhao Feng."

Zhao Cangtian felt powerless and uttered a few words.

The elders were mentally and physically exhausted, sighing inwardly.

Zhao Linlong clenched his fists and gritted his teeth, feeling a deep sense of injustice.

Was he, the former top genius of the Zhao clan, destined to be replaced by a young man from a lesser branch?

"Zhao Feng may not be favored. Even if he is, so what? I will make him lose face!"

Zhao Linlong's eyes flickered, and his face turned slightly gloomy.

After a while.

A tall and handsome young man stepped into the grand hall with steady steps.

"Who exactly has come to the Zhao clan today?"

Zhao Feng was somewhat puzzled.

Looking at the current situation, the patriarch and others were clearly led by the man in the green robe at the head of the hall.

His left eye slightly opened for a moment, capturing the distribution of the man's qi and inner strength.

The qi and inner strength were as condensed as ox sinew, gathered without dispersing, and not a trace leaked.

More terrifyingly, the martial arts inner strength of this man had reached a limit in both quantity and quality.

If Zhao Linlong's martial arts inner strength was a cup of cold water, then the patriarch Zhao Cangtian was a bucket of boiling water, a significant difference.

However, in comparison, the martial arts inner strength of the man in the green robe was like a vat of molten iron!

In terms of both quality and quantity, it had reached the peak of a certain level.

"Very strong!"

Zhao Feng's heart trembled, and he quickly reined in his left eye.

The person before him might be the strongest he had ever encountered, except for the young girl in the Blood Python Valley.

"What is your name?"

Master Ye asked.

"Zhao Feng."

The young man's voice was steady and calm.

"Good."

Master Ye's face showed a hint of interest.

The invisible aura he produced with his breathing and movements did not make the young man in front of him show any signs of fear or panic.

For some reason, the young man in front of him gave him a sense of being unable to fully see through him.

Zhao Feng's true cultivation was at the Sixth Level, but his "Withered Wood Breath Technique" had reached the perfect realm. Under his deliberate concealment, even Master Ye could not easily see through him...