Chapter 1656: Looking Pitiful and Wronged
Right then, a figure suddenly approached from the distance.
Ling Feng turned around and saw Murong Bai striding toward him.
The man still looked utterly dejected. It was obvious that the battle of wills atop Jue Tian Peak had dealt him quite a blow.
"As far as I know, Xu Ming and Helian Xiao have spent years painstakingly studying those two martial techniques. They've immersed themselves in them for a very long time, yet I've never seen either of them gain sudden enlightenment the way they did today. Junior Brother, you truly are extraordinary."
Murong Bai stopped in front of Ling Feng and spoke with heartfelt admiration.
"I only happen to have a slightly sharper eye than most. Senior Brother praises me too highly."
Ling Feng smiled modestly.
"Ah..."
Murong Bai sighed again. His gaze swept over Ling Feng and Tuoba Yan before he slowly said, "Junior Brother Ling, Junior Sister Tuoba, there are some things I'd like to discuss with you privately. Would the two of you mind speaking elsewhere?"
As he spoke, hesitation flickered faintly across his face, as though the matter was difficult to bring up.
Ling Feng immediately understood. With his intelligence, there was no way he would miss the meaning behind those words.
"Of course."
The three quickly headed to the residence assigned to Ling Feng and sat down inside.
After carefully shutting the door, Murong Bai finally began speaking.
"The main reason I came is to tell you about some things related to the Sunset Heaven Selection. Among the disciples, aside from myself, Senior Brother Shi, and Senior Brother Gu, the two of you are the most likely candidates to compete for a top ten position. As your senior brother, I feel obligated to share what I learned while observing the battles involving Ye Ting and the others today."
"Then many thanks to Senior Brother."
Ling Feng cupped his fists in salute.
For Murong Bai to willingly share the experience of his own defeat, Ling Feng could not help viewing him in a more favorable light.
"Honestly, it's rather embarrassing to talk about."
Murong Bai's old face reddened slightly. His expression grew incomparably solemn, carrying a trace of awe that was difficult to hide.
"Among the top experts of the other sects, you absolutely must pay attention to Ao Jue of the Yunluo Sacred Land and Ye Ting of the Wulei Sacred Land. The strength of those two can no longer be described with words."
"Ao Jue?"
Tuoba Yan could not help asking, "According to the jade slip given to us by the Hall Master of the Void Heaven Hall, Ao Jue ranked third in the previous tournament, while Li Yanluo ranked even higher than him, didn't he?"
"That was ten years ago. The current Ao Jue has already surpassed him." Murong Bai paused briefly before adding in a heavy voice, "But in my opinion, the truly more terrifying one might still be Ye Ting."
Seeing Murong Bai so serious and cautious, Ling Feng became increasingly interested in the martial gathering that had taken place atop Jue Tian Peak.
"Senior Brother Murong, could you roughly describe what happened during your exchange?"
A bitter smile appeared on Murong Bai's face.
"We never exchanged moves."
"Hm?"
Tuoba Yan blinked in confusion. "If you never fought, then why were you so exhausted afterward, Senior Brother?"
Murong Bai let out another long sigh.
"It's honestly shameful to admit. At our level, no, to be more precise, at their level, every movement carries terrifying destructive force. Because of that, there was no direct sparring."
Before going there, he had been filled with confidence and resentment. He hated the fact that Ye Changge regarded him as little more than someone brought along to make up the numbers.
But after arriving, he was completely convinced.
People like Shi Haoxuan and Ye Ting simply existed on a different level entirely.
Compared to them, he truly was just there to fill a seat.
"After arriving at Jue Tian Peak, we compared our martial auras instead."
Murong Bai clenched his fists tightly and gritted his teeth.
"I lasted less than a single breath before being forced back. The reason I became so exhausted afterward was because I suffered backlash from the rebounding force."
Ling Feng's lips twitched slightly.
No wonder Murong Bai looked so pitiful and aggrieved, like a wronged little wife.
That really was humiliating.
"Sigh... thinking back on it now, I truly overestimated myself."
Murong Bai shook his head before continuing.
"The second person eliminated was Gongsun Long of the Wulei Sacred Land. He only endured for ten breaths. After that came Li Yanluo and Senior Brother Gu. Both lasted around fifteen breaths."
"As for the final stage of the aura confrontation, Senior Brother Shi, Ao Jue, and Ye Ting were practically evenly matched. The three of them clashed for an entire quarter of an hour without a single one falling behind!"
"A quarter of an hour?"
Tuoba Yan's eyelids twitched.
If even someone as powerful as Gu Changfeng could only endure around fifteen breaths beneath the pressure of those three, yet Shi Haoxuan, Ao Jue, and Ye Ting could continue battling for an entire quarter hour, then their level had clearly reached a height ordinary people could scarcely imagine.
"That's right. In the end, they only stopped because I was on the verge of fainting from the pressure. During that battle of auras, none of the three revealed the limits of their strength."
Murong Bai laughed bitterly.
He had always believed himself exceptional, but only now did he truly understand the gap separating him from those monsters.
His title as the third-ranked disciple of Dongling Immortal Pool really was...
Too difficult to bear.
At that moment, the thought buried deep inside his heart was probably this,
I never realized I was actually this weak.
"Sigh..."
After finishing, Murong Bai let out another heavy breath. Yet when he looked up at Ling Feng, he discovered that this fellow was not discouraged in the slightest.
On the contrary, Ling Feng looked excited, his fighting spirit practically boiling over.
"He's still too young."
Murong Bai shook his head inwardly. He felt that if Ling Feng personally experienced what he had gone through today, he would probably end up even more dispirited than himself.
"By this calculation, those three people at the top are practically unbeatable. Fortunately, one of them is Senior Brother Shi from our Dongling Immortal Pool, so one of the top ten spots is already secure."
Murong Bai calmly analyzed the situation.
"Then comes the next tier. With my strength, I'm afraid things are looking difficult. But Junior Brother Ling, you've probably still hidden quite a bit of your true ability, so you may still have a chance to compete. Together with Senior Brother Gu, we might be able to seize three spots within the top five."
"After that comes myself and Junior Sister Tuoba. No matter what, we have to find a way to squeeze into the top ten."
Murong Bai tightened his fists.
"I estimate that Ye Changge is probably even stronger than I am. Then there's Wang Qian, who still hasn't revealed his true strength, along with Yuan Huaji, Yue Huaqing, He Lingyun, Zi Zhaoyan, and the others. All of them are likely powerful contenders for the top ten as well."
After suffering such a crushing setback, Murong Bai had finally lowered his proud head and acknowledged his own shortcomings.
Overall, for the Dongling Immortal Pool to firmly secure five spots within the top ten would be incredibly difficult.
Ling Feng merely smiled faintly.
Murong Bai's analysis was generally accurate.
However, Ling Feng himself was destined to claim first place.
Besides that, there was still another person within Dongling Immortal Pool who would likely blind everyone if she revealed her true strength.
Yu Linglong.
Anyone who had personally experienced the terrifying power of that monster-strength girl would understand just how frightening she truly was.
An unimaginable force slumbered within her body.
After sharing all his thoughts, Murong Bai looked deeply at Ling Feng once more before speaking in a solemn tone.
"Junior Brother Ling, although you managed to utterly defeat Liu Donglin, you might only stand a chance against someone like Gongsun Long of the Wulei Sacred Land. As for the others, your odds of victory are very low. If things turn bad, surrender as quickly as possible and preserve your strength."
He paused briefly before adding another warning.
"And if you voluntarily admit defeat, your Dragon of Fortune will only lose a small portion of its fortune. But if you're defeated head-on, at least half your fortune will be stolen away."
"A lot of people are already targeting you in this Sunset Heaven Selection."
"I understand. I'll be careful."
Ling Feng nodded slightly.
Although he did not particularly care inwardly, he naturally would not act arrogant in front of Murong Bai. After all, the man spoke out of genuine goodwill.
It was simply that Ling Feng did not believe he needed to surrender to anyone.
Even if his opponent was Shi Haoxuan, it would make no difference.
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