Chapter 167: Chapter 167: Why?
The names on the Stone Stele belonged to the chosen ones of the East Continent from the past millennium. Each and every one was a genius among geniuses. Breaking into the top ten was more than enough to prove Sun Shufeng’s astonishing talent.
"Sun Shufeng is a true genius of our Daqian! Simply unmatched!"
"With Sun’s talent, he’s sure to be selected for the Celestial Profound Sacred Land’s Inner Sect!"
Instantly, a buzz went through the crowd below the Stone Stele, and the sounds of praise for Sun Shufeng were incessant.
Sun Shufeng calmly lifted his head, unable to hide a hint of smugness.
After him, a few more geniuses from the East Continent stepped forward to attempt the stele, but without exception, none managed to break into the top ten. This only made Sun Shufeng even more smug.
"Shen Mo Feng is here!"
Someone suddenly shouted.
The crowd surrounding the Celestial Pride Stele parted to make way, and the tall figure of Shen Mo Feng strode in nonchalantly.
"With Shen Mo Feng’s talent, he’s sure to make the top five."
Someone in the crowd called out.
With a low shout, a flash of light erupted from Shen Mo Feng’s feet as he shot off the ground. He tapped his toes against the Stone Stele in quick succession, ascending rapidly. Soon, he approached Sun Shufeng’s mark and then effortlessly surpassed it.
But Shen Mo Feng wasn’t finished. With a great shout, a dazzling light flared from within him, and he propelled himself upward once more. Only when his momentum finally gave out did he reach out and carve his name onto the Stone Stele.
Seeing the result, the crowd below erupted.
"As expected of the Daqian Empire’s number one genius! To think he made it into the top three!"
"I doubt any of us could ever surpass that in this lifetime!"
"Congratulations, congratulations! Young Master Shen, you’re certain to be chosen for the Sacred Land’s Inner Sect this time!"
"Young Master Shen, your name is destined for the history books of our East Continent."
One after another, the crowd offered their congratulations to Shen Mo Feng.
However, Shen Mo Feng’s expression was grim. His name was placed exactly below Shangguan Yiran’s—he had failed to surpass her.
’The man for me, the Commandery Princess, must be noble and upright, a true pillar of strength. At the very least, his power must surpass my own!’
Those were the words Shangguan Yiran had spoken just yesterday.
’So close!’
Recalling the events of yesterday, Shen Mo Feng’s heart churned with bitter resentment.
Shen Mo Feng instinctively turned to look at Shangguan Yiran, only to find her laughing and chatting with Dongfang Wan’Er, paying him no attention whatsoever.
This enraged him even more.
Unwilling to accept defeat, Shen Mo Feng pushed off forcefully and shot upwards again, leaping toward the top of the Stone Stele.
But for some reason, no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t climb any higher.
Just then, some people in the crowd began to whisper among themselves.
"Say, how come that weirdo isn’t here yet today?"
"That guy’s a martial arts fanatic. He doesn’t care about anything besides cultivation."
"With his talent, I wonder how high he’ll rank on the Celestial Pride Stele?"
"Do you think he can surpass Dugu Sheng? After all, he’s number one on our Martial Arts Ranking!"
"I heard he could have broken through to the Spirit Transformation realm long ago. He’s only holding back because he wants to forge a perfect Grotto Heaven."
"I doubt it. Do you know who Dugu Sheng is? He’s the greatest genius in the history of the East Continent! At sixteen, he left to venture alone into the demon-infested Mountain Sea Region. Whose talent could possibly surpass his?"
As they spoke, the crowd looked up at the Stone Stele, their gazes filled with reverence as they fixed on that one name—a name that seemed to soar like a dragon emerging from the abyss.
"Huh? Wait..."
Suddenly, someone noticed something. "Is that a name at the very top of the Stone Stele?"
"How is that possible?"
Skeptical, the crowd looked up to get a closer look.
"It looks like there’s really something written there! Is that the word ’Shen’?"
More people spotted the word.
"Who carved that?"
The crowd was dumbfounded.
"The word ’Shen’?"
Nearby, Sun Shufeng repeated the word to himself. He suddenly had a thought and turned to Shen Mo Feng in astonishment. "Young Master Shen, did you carve that?"
"Me?"
Shen Mo Feng froze, not comprehending for a moment.
At Sun Shufeng’s reminder, realization dawned on the crowd. "That’s right! The surname is Shen. Who else here has that name besides you?"
"Young Master Shen, I never realized your talent was so astonishing! And to be so modest about it... We’re truly impressed!"
"Looks like first place in the Sacred Land’s assessment is yours for the taking!"
"Young Master Shen, don’t forget about us when you get into the Sacred Land’s Inner Sect!"
Once they understood, the crowd turned to Shen Mo Feng with looks of pure admiration and awe.
"Say no more, say no more!"
Buoyed by the crowd’s praise, Shen Mo Feng was walking on air. "Rest assured, when I, Shen Mo Feng, enter the Sacred Land’s Inner Sect, I will not forget any of you!"
The commotion at the foot of the Stone Stele soon attracted the attention of the Inner Sect Disciples from the Celestial Profound Sacred Land.
When she saw the word "Shen" at the very top of the Stone Stele, even Dongfang Wan’Er couldn’t help but look astonished. She shot Shen Mo Feng a strange glance.
Shangguan Yiran, however, remained calm and paid Shen Mo Feng no mind. She glanced at the word "Shen" at the very top of the stele, then turned to look meaningfully at Shen Daoxing.
Shen Daoxing had naturally heard the entire conversation below, but he said nothing. Nonchalantly, he laced his hands behind his head and sauntered off the terrace.
Shangguan Yiran’s eyes followed Shen Daoxing, watching until his back disappeared down the stairs.
Noticing her strange behavior, a curious Dongfang Wan’Er asked, "Junior Sister, what are you looking at?"
Shangguan Yiran glanced from the word "Shen" on the Celestial Pride Stele to Shen Daoxing’s retreating figure and smiled faintly. "It’s nothing."
"By the way, did Shen Mo Feng really carve that ’Shen’ at the top? Is his talent truly that great? I can’t see it,"
Dongfang Wan’Er asked worriedly.
’The last thing she wanted was to become Dao partners with that guy.’
Shangguan Yiran saw her friend’s worry and gave a faint, meaningful smile. "We’ll find out in five days, during the Sacred Land’s assessment."
The endless praise continued to ring in Shen Mo Feng’s ears. He was bursting with pride, feeling as if everything was under his control. He then turned to look at Shangguan Yiran.
But Shangguan Yiran still wasn’t looking at him. Her gaze was fixed on the space beyond the terrace.
Seeing this, Shen Mo Feng’s face fell. He was furious. ’Why? Why? Even after all this, she won’t even spare me a single glance?’
Shen Mo Feng followed her gaze out from the terrace. Down below, Shen Daoxing was ambling leisurely toward the guest rooms, his hands laced behind his head.
’Shen Daoxing! It’s him again!’
Shen Mo Feng’s face grew even darker. His eyes, fixed on Shen Daoxing, were like an abyss in Purgatory, ready to devour everything.
"Shufeng!"
Shen Mo Feng suddenly turned and called out.
"Yes!"
Sun Shufeng moved to Shen Mo Feng’s side.
"The entrance assessment for the Sacred Land—it’s still the same three trials as always?"
Shen Mo Feng asked slowly.
"That’s right, Young Master Shen."
Sun Shufeng said with a nod.
Then, Shen Mo Feng started to laugh. He looked meaningfully down from the terrace at Shen Daoxing. "In that case, I imagine it would be unavoidable if some... accidents... were to happen on the testing grounds during the assessment, wouldn’t it?"
Sun Shufeng followed Shen Mo Feng’s gaze and saw Shen Daoxing as well. Understanding dawned, and he chuckled. "Yes. That’s right, Young Master Shen."
