22: Raymond Lam protects his wife, the whole audience is silent

At the entrance of Tai Nan Valley, Han Li crouched on a high willow branch, his gaze fixed forward.

The valley entrance was bustling with people, countless Mortals and low-level Cultivators gazed up at the high platform, their eyes filled with longing and anticipation. That was the gate to the immortal path, a chance to change their destiny.

He saw the banners of the Seven Great Sects, fluttering in the wind, as if proclaiming their transcendent status. He also saw those Sect Cultivators, dressed splendidly and with an ethereal Aura, completely different from the crowded and shabby Loose Cultivators below.

The most eye-catching, naturally, was Nangong Wan, who stood at the forefront. Her white veil fluttered, and she was cold and beautiful, as if she did not belong to this Mortal world.

Then, his gaze shifted to a man and a woman standing in the front row of the crowd: Lin Feng and Mo Fengwu. They seemed to have a natural halo around them, and the surrounding Loose Cultivators unconsciously gave them space.

The Aura of Qi Refining Perfection, even from a distance, made him feel pressure in his heart.

The clamor at the valley entrance gradually subsided, and everyone's gaze focused on the high platform. Nangong Wan moved with light steps, walking to the edge of the platform. Her voice was cold, yet it clearly spread throughout the valley entrance: “Fellow Daoists, this Ascension Gathering is jointly hosted by our Seven Great Sects.”

“Whether you can join an immortal Sect mainly depends on your cultivation and Spiritual Root. The way to test Spiritual Root is this item.” She flipped her jade hand, and a fist-sized, crystal-clear stone appeared in her palm, emitting a soft glow.

“This is a Spirit Testing Stone. The rules of the gathering are simple: I will soon throw this stone into the air, and you may step forward to seize it by your own ability. Those who successfully grasp the Spirit Testing Stone and stand on the platform for three breaths can proceed with the Spiritual Root test. If a Spiritual Root is detected, those with outstanding Aptitude will have the opportunity to be chosen by a Sect.”

As Nangong Wan's words fell, a commotion immediately broke out below the platform. Seizing? This Ascension Gathering, was it actually so direct and cruel?

“Only one Spirit Testing Stone will be tested at a time, until all the Disciples needed by the Sects are recruited,” Nangong Wan added, her tone completely unruffled.

She didn't give the crowd much time to react. With a gentle toss of her right hand, the Spirit Testing Stone drew an arc and stably hovered in the air directly above the center of the arena, emitting an alluring glow.

Almost the instant the Spirit Testing Stone left Nangong Wan's hand, Lin Feng, who was standing in the front row, moved. He didn't hesitate at all, pulling Mo Fengwu beside him, his figure like lightning, rushing towards the Spirit Testing Stone in the air.

“Phoenix Dance, hold on tight,” Lin Feng transmitted.

Mo Fengwu gripped his hand tightly, only feeling a blur before her eyes and the whistling of wind in her ears. The surrounding Cultivators hadn't even fully understood the rules, let alone reacted. They only saw two figures flash past, heading straight for the Spirit Testing Stone.

Fast! Too fast!

As the crowd below gasped in surprise, Lin Feng had already firmly grasped the Spirit Testing Stone. His figure was light, landing on the arena. With a light tap of his toes, he brought Mo Fengwu to stand beside the Spirit Testing Stone.

The entire process was fluid, as if he had already known the rules of the gathering. From the moment Nangong Wan threw the Spirit Testing Stone to Lin Feng grabbing it, it was but an instant.

Everyone was stunned, countless eyes staring at the young man and woman on the arena. The Cultivators who had just made way for Lin Feng couldn't help but feel some regret.

They had pushed and squeezed for a long time, some Cultivators from other regions had even come here at great cost, yet the first test slot was so easily taken away?

However, Lin Feng, holding the Spirit Testing Stone on the platform, did not immediately activate it for Spiritual Root detection. He simply turned around, a gentle smile on his face, and handed the Spirit Testing Stone in his hand to Mo Fengwu beside him.

“Wife, you first.”

His voice wasn't loud, but in the silent valley entrance, it was clearly audible.

Whoosh!

The crowd completely erupted.

“He's not testing himself?!”

“Giving the Spirit Testing Stone to that woman? What a joke!”

“Who is this person? Relying on high cultivation, he's actually so arrogant!”

Angry curses rose one after another, but no one dared to rush forward first. At least the cultivation of Qi Refining Perfection, in the eyes of these Loose Cultivators, who were mostly in the Early Stage and Middle Stage of Qi Refining, was already an unattainable existence. What's more, the terrifying speed Lin Feng had just displayed also made them wary.

On the high platform, Nangong Wan's gaze fell on Lin Feng again. Her delicate brows furrowed slightly, and a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes. Why would this person make such an easily hostile move? And the speed he just displayed… it was definitely not that of an ordinary Qi Refining Perfection.

The scene was eerily quiet for a moment. Countless Cultivators had anger burning in their eyes, but they were intimidated by Lin Feng's strength and dared not act rashly.

Just then, a furious roar rang out from the crowd.

“Audacious madman! How dare you act so recklessly at the Ascension Gathering!”

A blue figure rushed out from the crowd, heading straight for the arena. This person was dressed in blue, with an arrogant face, and a powerful Spiritual Qi fluctuation of Qi Refining Twelfth Layer emanated from his body. He held a blue long flag, with a snarling Dragon embroidered on its surface.

“Watch me, Lu Yunfeng, knock him off the platform!” the blue-clothed male Cultivator roared, suddenly flicking the blue long flag in his hand towards Lin Feng.

The long flag swelled in the wind, instantly transforming into a banner about a zhang in size. The Dragon embroidered on the flag seemed to come alive, emitting a low Dragon roar.

“Roar!”

Accompanying the waving of the flag, a violent surge of Spiritual Qi poured out, actually condensing a lifelike blue Dragon phantom out of thin air, several zhang long, charging menacingly towards Lin Feng. Electric light coiled around the Dragon phantom, carrying a heart-palpitating pressure.

This is a top-grade Magical Artifact! And its quality is not low!

Han Li's pupils constricted in the tree. A Cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage possessing such a powerful Magical Artifact was definitely not an ordinary Loose Cultivator or a child from a small Family. This person must be a direct descendant of a certain cultivation Family.

The blue Dragon phantom roared as it charged towards Lin Feng, tearing through the air in its path, emitting a sharp whistling sound. This single strike was enough to easily severely injure or even kill Cultivators below the tenth layer of Qi Refining.

Facing this terrifying attack, Lin Feng's expression remained unchanged. He did not conjure any Magical Artifacts, nor did he cast any defensive Spells. He simply gently shielded Mo Fengwu behind him, and then, raised his right hand.

He extended his right hand, fingers slightly splayed, as if to grasp something invisible.

The blue Dragon phantom instantly rushed close, its huge Dragon head about to collide with Lin Feng.

The next moment, a jaw-dropping scene occurred.

Lin Feng's hand, with such a seemingly casual grasp.

There was no spiritual light flashing, no Spell fluctuations, not even the sound of wind seemed to be stagnant.

The massive blue Dragon phantom, in that hand, instantly disintegrated like fragile foam, turning into specks of blue spiritual light that dissipated into the air.

Boom!

The blue small flag Magical Artifact lost its Spiritual Qi support, let out a mournful cry, and flew back into Lu Yunfeng's hand.

Lu Yunfeng's face suddenly turned pale, a mouthful of fresh blood spurted out, and his body flew backward like a kite with a broken string. The blue small flag in his hand also dimmed in spiritual light, clearly having suffered no small damage.

“Senior Brother Yunfeng!”

Several figures dressed like Lu Yunfeng rushed out from the crowd, frantically catching the flying Lu Yunfeng. They looked at Lu Yunfeng's listless appearance, then at Lin Feng, who was unharmed and calm on the arena, their eyes filled with disbelief.

That was Lu Yunfeng, the Heaven's Chosen of their Lu Family, a Genius seen once in a thousand years, possessing a mutated Wind Spiritual Root! He held the top-grade Magical Artifact “Azure Dragon Flag” bestowed by the Family elders, and even against a Cultivator in the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, he could exchange a few blows. But now, Lu Changfeng's proud Azure Dragon phantom was so easily resolved by the opponent, even causing severe damage to both his Magical Artifact and himself!

The scene once again fell into a deathly silence. Everyone stared blankly at Lin Feng on the arena, as if they had seen some incredible monster.

On the willow tree, Han Li also completely froze. He opened his mouth wide, his eyes filled with shock. Although he couldn't see through Lin Feng's true cultivation, what had just happened far exceeded the power a Cultivator in the Qi Refining Stage could display. That wasn't a Spell, nor was it a Magical Artifact; it was more like a pure power suppression, a control over the essence of Spiritual Qi!

This person… what Realm is he in?!

He clenched his fists. He had gone through life and death, desperately struggling to get here, thinking that Qi Refining Perfection was already top-tier among Loose Cultivators. But this man in front of him had effortlessly defeated a full-power attack from a Cultivator of the same Realm in a way he completely couldn't understand.

The huge disparity made a strong sense of powerlessness rise deep within him, as well as a deeper unwillingness.

Lin Feng ignored the flying Lu Yunfeng; he simply looked at Mo Fengwu beside him and smiled gently.

“Wife, it's done.”

Mo Fengwu's eyes sparkled with brilliance. She knew her husband was strong, but she hadn't expected him to be this strong. She took the Spirit Testing Stone and, following Lin Feng's guidance, injected Spiritual Qi into it.

The Spirit Testing Stone instantly lit up with dazzling white light, and then, a pillar of ice-blue light shot up into the sky, straight into the clouds!

Ice Spiritual Root! And the light pillar was so solid, so pure!

On the high platform, Nangong Wan and the other Core Formation Cultivators from the Seven Great Sects were all moved.

“Top-grade Ice Spiritual Root?!” A Core Formation Cultivator from Huangfeng Valley exclaimed in surprise.

A top-grade mutated Spiritual Root, rarely seen in a century! It was a peerless Genius that the major Sects would vie for!

Everyone's gaze instantly shifted from Lin Feng to Mo Fengwu.

And Han Li, in the tree, also saw that towering ice-blue pillar of light.

Top-grade Ice Spiritual Root!

A monstrous wave surged in his heart again. This woman, who seemed like a vase beside Lin Feng, actually possessed such Heaven-Defying Aptitude?!

Then, recalling the man beside her, his unfathomable strength, and his words just now, “Wife, you first”…

Han Li felt as if he had been struck by a bolt of lightning, his whole body somewhat numb.

So, this was what a true Heaven's Chosen was like? They effortlessly stood in the front row, easily seized the Spirit Testing Stone, possessed Heaven-Defying Aptitude, and even had that incredible powerful strength…

And he was just an insignificant Loose Cultivator hiding in a tree, unable to even squeeze into the front row.

The stark contrast made Han Li's feelings extremely complex. He felt frustrated, unwilling, but more than that, a stimulated determination.

He wanted to become stronger! Stronger than these people!

Only then could he stop looking up, only then could he control his own destiny!

On the arena, Mo Fengwu withdrew her Spiritual Qi, and the light from the Spirit Testing Stone gradually dimmed. She looked at Lin Feng, her eyes full of joy and reliance.

“Husband, how was it!”

Lin Feng smiled and rubbed her head: “My Phoenix Dance is the best.”

On the high platform, the Core Formation Cultivators of the Seven Great Sects could no longer sit still. The old woman from Spirit Beast Mountain's eyes sparkled, just about to speak.

“This Fairy,” the old Daoist from Huangfeng Valley, however, spoke first, his face full of smiles, “Our Huangfeng Valley is willing to…”

“Wait!” Nangong Wan's cold voice rang out.

She did not look at the Core Formation old Daoist from Huangfeng Valley, but instead cast her gaze towards Mo Fengwu, and, towards Lin Feng, who stood beside Mo Fengwu.

She was interested in Mo Fengwu's top-grade Spiritual Root, but what interested her more was, who exactly was that man? How could he, with a Qi Refining Stage cultivation, so easily resolve the top-grade Magical Artifact attack of a Qi Refining Twelfth Layer Cultivator? And what Realm had his true cultivation reached?

Also, why did his gaze just now make her feel so strange?

Nangong Wan pondered for a moment, and her cold voice rang out again. This time, her gaze fell on Lin Feng.

“Fellow Daoist, your female companion has already tested her Spiritual Root, so what about you, Fellow Daoist? Don't you plan to test it?”