Chapter 78: Chapter 77: Star Sect
"Xu Fei, Qin Tianjiao, the two of you possess Upper Three Grades of Martial Arts Talent. You are Martial Dao prodigies the likes of which are seen only once a century. Your future knows no bounds!"
Those were the exact words of an expert from one of the Five Great Sects!
And yet, the evaluation they received now was: How can the light of a firefly compete with the radiance of the full moon?
The faces of Xu Fei and Qin Tianjiao twisted slightly with anger. Today should have been their day to rise to fame as geniuses, but Qin Feng’s appearance had sent things in the complete opposite direction.
The reason was Qin Feng’s Super Eleventh Grade Martial Arts Talent!
This day, which should have been their moment to shine, had instead become a day of indelible humiliation.
How can the light of a firefly compete with the radiance of the full moon? What an infuriating evaluation! If they weren’t in public, the two of them—both arrogant and not particularly magnanimous—would have attacked long ago.
Rooted to the spot, Xu Fei and Qin Tianjiao glared at the black-robed figure surrounded by the experts of the Major Sects. A boundless fire of jealousy raged in their chests, making them wish they could flay him alive, eat his flesh, drink his blood, shatter his bones, and suck his marrow!
Guan Ruolin stood beside them, her face like ice. As she watched the black-robed figure who had become the center of attention, a sinister and venomous glint flashed repeatedly in her beautiful eyes.
She glanced at the indignant duo, and a cold smile touched her lips.
"Xu Fei, Qin Tianjiao, you don’t need to worry about what the Five Great Sects think. What do they amount to, anyway? They’re nothing but opportunists who follow the wind. They aren’t necessarily any stronger than our Nine Great Families of Mountain and River City! With the talent the three of us possess, won’t it be a simple matter to enter a sect even stronger than those five?"
As she finished speaking, a murderous glint appeared in her eyes. She sneered at the distant figure. "Besides, I’d actually prefer it if that country bumpkin chose to join a sect... Don’t you think?"
"Hm?" At her words, the expressions of both Xu Fei and Qin Tianjiao changed. Then, as if they’d just remembered something, smiles spread across their faces and they nodded.
"You’ve really thought this through, Ruolin."
’What does she mean?’ In the crowd, Yu Yao, who had been making small talk with a few young ladies from the Nine Great Families, overheard them. Her expression flickered, and a hint of confusion appeared in her beautiful eyes.
...
"Thank you, seniors, for your generous offers. However, it seems my destiny does not lie with any of the Major Sects. I hope you can forgive me," Qin Feng said, rejecting the invitations from the various sects.
The reason was simple: the terms these sects offered weren’t enough to entice him. Qin Feng couldn’t care less about the status of a True Disciple in a Major Sect. As for being taught a Martial Arts True Inheritance, he was immensely well-read. Forget a mere True Inheritance; Qin Feng had already mastered no fewer than three Legendary Martial Arts Treasure Manuals.
Besides, there was an even more important reason: a future Super First-class Sect, hidden within All Stars Academy, was waiting for him to join.
The Star Sect. A hidden First-class Sect behind All Stars Academy, destined to become a Super First-class Sect. It was a supreme sect that held the ultimate Mystical Meaning of the Ancient Star God Lineage.
The Star Sect was a hidden opportunity one could encounter after entering All Stars Academy—a secret known to only a select few.
After enrolling in All Stars Academy, students would face many trials and assessments. If a student proved outstanding enough, they could attract the attention of the Star Sect’s experts, who were always watching from the shadows behind the academy. This offered a significant chance to be noticed by them and subsequently be inducted into the Star Sect.
The Star Sect was an incredibly vast First-class Sect. From what Qin Feng knew, it possessed the Twenty-Eight Heavenly Constellation Peaks. The power of any single one of those peaks could easily crush factions like the Nine Great Families of Mountain and River City or the Five Great Sects.
One could only imagine how terrifyingly vast and powerful such a sect must be.
Qin Feng had set his sights on the Star Sect long ago.
Naturally, Qin Feng looked down on the likes of the Lingyun Sect, the Wuji Sect, the Cyan Wood Sect, and the Nine Great Families—Martial Arts Sects that couldn’t even be considered third-rate.
The experts from the Five Great Sects exchanged glances, their eyes filled with regret. ’Eleventh Grade Martial Arts Talent... such a talent is exceedingly rare. What a pity it cannot be for our sects!’
"A wise choice." Beside the testing Array Map, the representatives from All Stars Academy exchanged glances. Seeing Qin Feng refuse the Five Great Sects’ recruitment attempts, a faint smile touched each of their lips.
As experts from All Stars Academy, these representatives were naturally aware of the Star Sect’s existence. While the academy had no explicit rule forbidding students from joining other sects, any student who did so would permanently forfeit their chance to join the Star Sect.
It was a hidden, fated opportunity, and many geniuses had squandered this heaven-sent chance due to a moment of impulse.
Seeing Qin Feng’s unexpected decision, Xu Fei, Qin Tianjiao, and Guan Ruolin seethed with resentment. ’Qin Feng actually refused to join the Five Great Sects!’
’Could he know about the Star Sect’s existence?’ Guan Ruolin murmured, her beautiful eyes filled with disappointment. She bit her lip so hard that a trickle of crimson blood ran down her chin.
"Impossible! He’s just some lucky brat from the countryside. How could he possibly know a secret like that?" Qin Tianjiao glared at the distant figure, refusing to believe someone of Qin Feng’s background could know about the Star Sect.
"He’s right. If our families didn’t have elders who had joined the Star Sect, we wouldn’t even know it existed. This matter is considered a top family secret. Even with our status, we were only informed a few days ago. How could Qin Feng possibly know?"
Xu Fei’s eyes were like a viper’s. The immense blow to his ego cast a frosty, sinister pall over the handsome youth’s face.
"Hmph. So what if he knows about the Star Sect? This is Mountain and River City!" A sharp, cold glint filled Guan Ruolin’s clear eyes as killing intent fully consumed her.
"He’s nothing but a Martial Artist at the Fourth Layer of the Martial Dao! No matter how high his Martial Arts Talent is, he hasn’t had time to mature. Here in Mountain and River City, the Nine Great Families rule. Anyone who threatens us must die! So you want to get into All Stars Academy and the Star Sect? We’ll see if you live long enough to make it!"
Guan Ruolin glared viciously at the black-robed youth, her beautiful eyes filled to the brim with killing intent.
"Hm?" In the middle of his discussion with the Five Great Sects, Qin Feng’s senses suddenly flared. He felt an intensely cold killing intent lock onto him from within the crowd.
’Her?’ He turned, following the source of the killing intent. His gaze swept through the crowd and landed on an aloof, beautiful girl dressed in white, meeting her bright, frigid eyes that held not a trace of warmth.
’Guan Ruolin?’ Qin Feng thought, looking at the girl in white whose expression was pure ice. A sneer flashed in his eyes.
Qin Feng remembered this girl. Earlier, when she had been tested and revealed to have a Sixth Grade Ice Attribute Martial Arts Talent, she had made a provocative throat-slitting gesture at him.
Guan Ruolin was undoubtedly a member of the Guan Family.
Qin Feng had also seen her before at the side of Liu Xi, a Second Grade Xuan Master. The girl was a gray-robed Apprentice Xuan Master.
From the beginning, Guan Ruolin had been openly hostile toward him.
Ever since Qin Feng had injured Guan Xiaopeng, the Guan Family had been relentlessly targeting him, from public suppression to outright assassination attempts, one after another.
"It’s Guan Ruolin. Looks like the Guan Family has reached its limit," one of the Zuo Brothers muttered. They had been guarding Qin Feng’s side and, noticing the change in his expression, followed his gaze to find Guan Ruolin in the crowd.
The Zuo Brothers’ faces grew grim. They knew full well the extent of the Nine Great Families’ power. In Mountain and River City, if the Nine Great Families truly decided to eliminate a single Martial Artist at the Fourth Layer of the Martial Dao, it would be terrifyingly easy—even if that person had the protection of major powers like All Stars Academy and the Mystic Master Guild.
(There should be another Chapter tonight.)
