As Mei Hongyi surveyed the group of top-tier individuals before him, his nerves rattled with an unshakeable pressure, despite his Two Wings Master cultivation level.
He swallowed hard before finally mustering the courage to ask: "Please excuse my bluntness, but why are you all here?"
"I've come to watch my granddaughter. Got a problem with that?" Mei Hengkong retorted to Mei Hongyi's question. The words were short, but the authority in his voice was unmistakable.
Mei Hongyi stumbled over his response, repeatedly bowing his head like a chicken pecking grains on the ground.
The assembled crowd looked on in curiosity, wondering who the elderly man was. He had been in retirement for a long time, and the younger generation only knew of the current top figures who managed the city.
Mei Hengkong, leaning on his walking stick, slowly made his way to the screen where his granddaughter's image was projected, taking a seat nearby.
The crowd started gossiping about each other.
"Even Peacock Lord has come here to watch!!"
"It's obvious, right? Goddess has participated this time."
"Oh, I see."
"Peacock Lady is as beautiful as ever!!"
But as the crowd noticed Mei Hengkong, they began to speculate about his identity.
"Who is that gramps over there?"
"Shush!! How dare you call him 'gramps'? Didn't you see how Second Elder acted just now? If even Second Elder was acting like that, you think you will survive if that senior felt offended by your words?"
With a warning from his friend, he quickly covered his mouth with his two hands and sat down to hide in the crowd, afraid that he would be noticed by this "gramps."
Peacock Lord invited each of his guests to take a seat, and he himself settled in beside his father, while his wife sat beside him. The First Elder stood behind Peacock Lord, as was his custom.
"So, what exactly happened?" Peacock Lord turned to Mei Hongyi and asked.
Mei Hongyi's face turned darkened before he elaborated what had happened so far: "Report to Clan Chief …"
He recounted everything about the exam, its rules, its rewards, and also Feng Luotian's matter.
When six of them heard about the exam, there was no reaction whatsoever, but after they were informed of Feng Luotian, their expression changed.
The shock was the first that came to their minds, followed by excitement and expectation.
Even Mei Hengkong, who seemed to only care about his granddaughter, swiftly turned his head toward Mei Hongyi and attentively listened to the story.
Looking at the image projection screen, Mei Xue'er spoke up with a teasing voice: "Oh my! When did Tian'er become so manly? He looks even more handsome than you when you were young, darling!!"
Even though her beautiful face was similar to Mei Yue'er, her personality was quite different. She seemed to be childish and playful, contrasting with Mei Yue'er, who was quite serious and worrisome all the time.
In his good mood, Peacock Lord chuckled: "Hehe. Stop inducing me to such competition. Why would I compete with Tian'er about looks?"
Seeing her husband not falling to her tricks, Mei Xue'er got irritated then ignored him completely: "Hmph!! What a boring old man!! Ah. Tian'er has been so dazzling since young. If I was still single, I would absolutely be fighting with Yue'er after this!!"
The surrounding people smiled wryly at her words.
Peacock Lord cleared his throat and said: "Ahem!! Anyway, it's great news that Tian'er has become so powerful."
He turned to Second Elder and gave his evaluation of the exam: "Hongyi, generally, the exam's settings are very well thought out, the rules, the incentives, and traps. With this, there will only be promising students passing the exam."
"Thank you, Clan Chief!!" Mei Hongyi bowed respectfully.
"However, you are doting on your son too much. If you want to give him a late-stage Talon core, there is no need to do it so circuitously."
When his intention was being jabbed by Peacock Lord, Mei Hongyi could not find any word to refuse the claim: "No. I was only—"
"More than that, if you really want to gain some reputation for your son, you should strictly tell him to do it in a more natural way, so people won't notice the difference when cheating." Peacock Lord interjected.
"…"
Peacock Lord was still rambling on without waiting for any answer from Mei Hongyi: "Nonetheless, it's already happened. There is no changing it. Let's watch how it will transpire."
Finishing the sentence, Peacock Lord shifted his attention to the screens, leaving Mei Hongyi completely speechless.
———
Back to where Feng Luotian and Mei Hongli were facing off each other within the exam site …
"Stop wasting time!! Let me flush out the main cheater from this place!!" Feng Luotian said as his purple eyes flashed.
///// Seven Fangs Thousand Illusion Aurora Peacock
///// [Illusion Clone] : The user can create an illusion clone at the cost of Theríon. The higher level of the clone, the more Theríon it costs. Creating an illusion clone at the same level as the user will cost their maximum Theríon capacity.
"You? Send me out? You must be dreaming. If you really are Feng Luotian, then don't forget the bet we made one month ago." Mei Hongli disdainfully sneered at Feng Luotian's words.
"Of course, if you are able to take the top ranking in this exam, then I won't talk to Yue'er anymore and stay as far away from her as possible." Feng Luotian casually replied.
"To remember that bet, it seems like you are Feng Luotian after all. But how are you able to increase your cultivation that fast?" Mei Hongli started to believe that this guy before him was really Feng Luotian.
Whether it was his tone, his personality, his words, and his bet, all were telling Mei Hongli so.
Feng Luotian did not wish to delay one more second, as he stomped the ground and launched himself towards Mei Hongli in a flash.
When Mei Hongli saw the incoming Feng Luotian, he quickly activated Aurora Treading Step. Although his cultivation was higher than Feng Luotian's, his instinct told him to flee as fast as possible.
A streak of green light connected Mei Hongli with another spot about two hundred meters away.
"Were you even thinking when you used that move to fight against me? I have seen it a thousand times before." After Feng Luotian noticed the green streak of light, his mouth curved into a smile.
Feng Luotian changed the course of his attack, his speed exploding as he arrived at the endpoint of Mei Hongli's teleportation.
He twisted his body, delivering a spin kick with pinpoint accuracy just as Mei Hongli materialized. His attack perfectly connected to the stomach
The impact was brutal. Mei Hongli was thrown back, crashing into an ancient ruin and causing it to crumble into dust and debris.
He did not wait for the smoke to settle down. Together with his newly generated Evil Cyclone, he charged straight at the impact location.
After entering the range of sixty-five meters, his eyes flashed in blue light. With Momentum Eyes, he further increased his speed.
There, a blue beam of light shot out, aiming his forehead as its target. So, he shifted his head from it projectile path. Immediately after, a dagger darted out from the cloud of smoke and flew right by his ear.
Feng Luotian maneuvered through the thick smokescreen, evading every stealthy attempt made by his opponent. As the smoke gradually lifted, a shadowy figure materialized amidst the clouds.
He wasted no time, lunging forward to unleash a dynamic punch at the figure. But as the punch landed, the shadowy figure dissolved into an aurora light.
However, he knew full well that this was not over yet.