Chapter 15: Clan Competition

When Chu Jianqiu entered the Chu family's training ground, it was already packed with people. The ten elders, the chief elders, and both the main and collateral line disciples, almost all members of the Chu family, had gathered.

"Look, our Great Young Master Chu has arrived!"

"At such an important clan competition, he actually arrives late, truly acting as if he's still the first genius of Tianshui County!"

"This waste, he's probably scared and too frightened to come. If it weren't for the chief elder sending someone to urge him, he would probably still be hiding at home!"

"Since he's already a waste, he should step down from the position of Chu family's young master as soon as possible. A waste as the prestigious Chu family's young master is a disgrace."

"After today, his position as the Chu family's young master will be a thing of the past. After today, the Chu family's young master will be our Young Master Chu Han!"

As soon as Chu Jianqiu appeared, the crowd immediately erupted into a commotion, with voices buzzing and discussions everywhere.

Over the past three years, while Chu Jianqiu's cultivation had not progressed at all, he had already faced a lot of criticism and ridicule.

Everyone believed that the Chu family's genius was just a fleeting moment, having exhausted all his talent in his youth. Although he was impressive for a time, he ultimately could not achieve greatness.

However, even though Chu Jianqiu's cultivation had not progressed for three years, he was still a True Qi Realm expert. Those people only dared to gossip behind his back and did not dare to ridicule him to his face.

Now that Chu Jianqiu had fallen from his pedestal, with his dantian shattered and his cultivation lost, those people no longer held back. The admiration and adoration they once had for Chu Jianqiu had all turned into vicious insults and ridicule.

Chu Jianqiu ignored these white eyes and ridicule. Over the past three years, he had already become accustomed to all of this. Now, the ridicule had merely shifted from behind his back to being openly displayed, with no significant difference.

Getting angry over these things was not worth it. As long as he demonstrated his powerful strength, this ridicule would quickly turn into countless praises. Chu Jianqiu had long understood the coldness of human nature.

Moreover, for someone who had experienced Liu Tianyao's betrayal, this verbal abuse was not even worth mentioning.

Chu Jianqiu sat in the position of the Chu family's young master, which again drew a chorus of sneers from below.

A young man in a green robe looked at Chu Jianqiu's position with a fiery gaze. After today, this position would be his.

This young man in the green robe was the chief elder's grandson, Chu Han.

The chief elder watched all of this with a blank expression, making no move to stop it.

The third elder merely frowned but took no action.

Although the situation seemed calm on the surface, there were undercurrents beneath.

The second elder, seventh elder, and tenth elder were clearly on the chief elder's side. The third elder, fourth elder, eighth elder, and ninth elder still supported Chu Jianqiu. The fifth elder and sixth elder were undecided.

How this situation would develop entirely depended on Chu Jianqiu's performance today.

The chief elder did not waste many words, simply giving a brief speech before ordering the competition to begin.

The clan competition was divided into four rounds. The numerous disciples would compete in pairs, with the losers being eliminated and the winners advancing to the next round. The top ten would be rewarded.

The first two rounds went without much surprise. Both Chu Jianqiu and Chu Han easily defeated their opponents.

The spectators below were not surprised by this result. Although the news of Chu Jianqiu becoming a waste had been widely spread, after he consecutively defeated Chu Jiaoyue and Liu Gaoyang, no one believed that he had lost all his cultivation.

According to the accounts of those who witnessed it, Chu Jianqiu was now a powerful Fourth Stage Body Tempering martial artist. His opponents in the first two rounds were all below the Sixth Stage Body Tempering, so it was not surprising that they were defeated by Chu Jianqiu.

But even if Chu Jianqiu was strong, he was still just a Fourth Stage Body Tempering martial artist. How long could he last?

In the third round, everyone wore playful smiles.

This time, Chu Jianqiu's opponent was Chu Dongxuan, an Eighth Stage Body Tempering martial artist.

"A mere Fourth Stage Body Tempering waste, do you even deserve to be my opponent? Surrender and roll away, so as not to dirty my hands!" Chu Dongxuan looked at Chu Jianqiu with disdain.

However, his response was a fist. One punch, and Chu Dongxuan was directly sent flying off the stage, spewing blood from his mouth.

At this scene, the crowd fell silent, the entire venue becoming deathly quiet. Those who had been waiting to watch the show were instantly stunned, almost unable to believe what they had just seen. This was not the strength of a Fourth Stage Body Tempering martial artist.

The chief elder was also shocked, instantly standing up from his seat.

He had seen the guards Chu Han sent to test Chu Jianqiu. He was more aware of Chu Jianqiu's strength than anyone else in the venue.

With Chu Jianqiu's current strength, he could barely defeat an Eighth Stage Body Tempering martial artist, let alone be a match for Chu Han.

He had thought he had a sure win, but who knew Chu Jianqiu had hidden his strength so deeply.

One punch to defeat Chu Dongxuan—this was not something a Sixth Stage Body Tempering martial artist could do.

Chu Han's eyes also showed a hint of seriousness. This Chu Jianqiu was far more formidable than he had imagined.

Chu Dongxuan's eyes were filled with disbelief. Thinking of his earlier arrogant words, his face burned with shame. He got up and ran away without looking back, knowing he would not be able to show his face for a long time.

Chu Jianqiu returned to his seat under the astonished gazes of the crowd. No one dared to mock him anymore. It seemed that Chu Jianqiu sitting in that chair was no longer as glaringly out of place as before.

Soon, the fourth round of the competition began.

This round was to determine the top ten. Those who had made it this far were not weak, with the lowest being Eighth Stage Body Tempering. Of course, Chu Jianqiu was the exception, as he had only shown a maximum of Sixth Stage Body Tempering strength so far.

Those who faced Chu Jianqiu no longer dared to underestimate him, but regardless of whether they underestimated him or not, the results were similar to Chu Dongxuan's.

Eighth Stage Body Tempering martial artists were all defeated with one punch, and Ninth Stage Body Tempering martial artists could not last more than ten moves against Chu Jianqiu.

However, Chu Han's performance was equally impressive, his combat strength not inferior to Chu Jianqiu's.

Only then did the crowd realize that Chu Han had also been hiding his strength.

The ten elders sitting on the main platform all showed a hint of intrigue. This competition was becoming increasingly exciting, piquing their interest and making them look forward to the outcome of the two men's confrontation.

At this point, except for the chief elder, most of them had given up their ambitions for power. Chu Jianqiu and Chu Han were both young talents of the Chu family. The stronger they were, the more beneficial it would be for the Chu family's future development.

Regardless of the outcome of their confrontation, they would do their utmost to protect Chu Jianqiu, ensuring he would not become a casualty of the power struggle.

If such a genius were to fall in their power struggle, they would have no face to face the ancestors of the Chu family.