Grandmaster? Not Even Fit to Shine My Master's Shoes!

Above the Great Immortal Terrace.

The major elders of the Misty Sect looked at one another in dismay.

They all discovered that the shock on each other's faces had long since overshadowed the gloom of losing the grand competition.

The bald, long-bearded Second Elder said in disbelief:

"Half a year ago, Xiao Huohuo was still third-rate, yet in half a year he taught him martial arts like this..."

"Even a grandmaster couldn't do such a thing."

An elder sitting to his right also frowned and said in a low voice:

"Could it be... that Xiao Huohuo fabricated this?"

Hearing this, the elders fell into silence once more.

That was because there was no need whatsoever for Xiao Huohuo to fabricate such a thing.

Moreover, recalling Xiao Huohuo's previous reputation as good-for-nothing, everyone asked themselves a question.

If it were themselves, no matter how deeply they hid, could they truly endure the humiliation of someone coming to their household to annul an engagement?

Even if his temperament really allowed him to endure like that, why on earth would he endure it?

Generally speaking, proud talents who hid their own talent did so to avoid enemies.

Yet as far as they knew, the Xiao family was a tyrant of a small city, and no news had spread of them crossing paths with anyone from the outside world.

There were no enemies outside the city, and no rivals within the city.

There was simply no need to hide Xiao Huohuo's talent, right?

With the talent that allowed Xiao Huohuo to step into the post-natal realm alone at sixteen years old, would he have to worry about finding no one to take him as a disciple once he went out, would he have to worry about lacking resources for cultivation, or would he have to worry about lacking factions to cozy up to?

Even if Xiao Huohuo's lineage were all fools, they would still be able to figure out a matter like this, right?

After turning it over this way, everyone startlingly arrived at a conclusion.

It was very likely true that half a year ago, Xiao Huohuo was indeed still a good-for-nothing stuck in the third-rate realm.

Otherwise, this simply could not be explained!

Yet amidst this half-year, under the guidance of the master spoken of by Xiao Huohuo,

Xiao Huohuo went straight from third-rate to post-natal, and his methods pointed directly to the Xiantian realm!

An achievement like this was simply horrifyingly hair-raising!

Aside from the shock, everyone also snapped back to their senses.

It seemed Xiao Huohuo had previously mentioned that his master was...

Realizing this, everyone turned their gazes one after another toward the young man in front of the Training Ground, who at every moment seemed to regard everything as none of his business.

The numerous gazes all transformed once more into that same shocked appearance, and terrified, everyone drew in a sharp breath.

On the young man's body, not the slightest trace of cultivation could actually be seen!

Just what kind of existence was this?!

Upon the Training Ground.

A look of unwillingness had accumulated on the pretty face for a long time, but when the moment finally came to look at the youth's figure, this trace of unwillingness still dissipated, transforming into a trace of bitterness.

Xu Ling'er snapped out of it and lowered her brow, saying:

"I lost."

Afterward, she turned to glance at the eye-catching giant pit in front of her, as well as the array of finger imprints behind her, and asked in bafflement:

"Why didn't that giant finger of yours smash down onto my body?"

Looking at Xiao Huohuo, Xu Ling'er's gaze was extremely complicated:

"Shouldn't you hate me to the core?"

"Three years ago, I forced you and the Xiao family into such a plight."

After looking at Xu Ling'er for a moment, Xiao Huohuo relaxed his body and withdrew his full aura:

"My trip here was purely to fulfill the Three-Year Pact and cleanse the reputation of the Xiao family."

"Also, although Master doesn't care about these things, I also wanted to vindicate Master."

He looked at Xu Ling'er, his tone growing somewhat more relaxed:

"I did hate you back then, hating you for plunging the Xiao family and me into such an embarrassing plight."

"But now, we are no longer people of the same world."

With that, Xiao Huohuo walked past her side without sparing her another glance.

Xu Ling'er's body trembled, her gaze somewhat sluggish as she muttered in a lost and desolate low voice:

"No longer... people of the same world..."

Three years ago, inside the Xiao Family Hall.

Facing the group of higher-ups from the Xiao family, she drew her sword and proudly pointed it at the youth whose expression was unsightly and filled with extreme anger—it seemed she had spoken these exact words back then.

Now, it was actually being returned to her in full by the youth she once looked down upon.

Xu Ling'er's face turned pale.

As the proud daughter of heaven of the Misty Sect, as an existence who had been admired by countless people since childhood,

It had always been her surpassing other geniuses and ruthlessly trampling those former geniuses beneath her feet.

When had she ever been counter-trampled like this by someone else?

For a moment, she could not bear it, feeling that from all directions, those gazes that once held such high expectations of her had all turned piercing.

Just as her eyes fell upon the long sword to the side, a figure gently landed beside her.

Wu Shan sighed, helped Xu Ling'er up, and said:

"Ling'er, you don't need to be disheartened."

"Your talent over these past years has been witnessed by all of Cangzhou; you haven't lost on account of talent."

He chuckled softly, seemingly harboring a trace of self-derision, and slowly said:

"Instead, you lost because of your master."

As soon as these words fell, the young girl startlingly raised her head to look at Wu Shan, her eyes filled with disbelief:

"How is that possible!"

"Master, you are a Xiantian Peak, a Half-step Grandmaster!"

"Even in the entire Cangzhou, you can't find a few people stronger than you."

"Countless people in Cangzhou would break their heads just to take you as their master."

"How could this possibly be your problem."

"If anyone is to be blamed, blame..."

Before the words were finished, Wu Shan noncommittally shook his head and cut her off.

He then stood up and looked at the youth beneath the Training Ground.

That youth still maintained the appearance of an outsider watching a show.

With a respectful expression, Wu Shan bowed and said:

"This senior."

"If this junior guesses correctly, Senior should be a grandmaster, right?"

"Yet I do not know which grandmaster graces our humble sect."

As his words fell, everyone present was incomparably shocked, and quite a few people had their bodies stiffen straight up.

Grandmaster?!

What these three words represented in this world was something everyone knew incomparably well.

In the Southern Desolate Realm, a grandmaster was an existence standing at the pinnacle of the world, representing the absolute peak of the Southern Desolate Realm!

Even if one searched throughout the Dazhao Country where they resided, they could not find the number of fingers on one hand.

Any random one of them was an object of flattery and pursuit for thousands of factions, or even the imperial household which possessed absolute control over the dynasty up and down.

After all, that was truly a person capable of fighting an army alone and swaying the outcome of a battle—they could be said to be an invincible existence!

Many martial artists did not even have the opportunity to lay eyes on such a figure in their entire lives.

How could one possibly appear in Cangzhou now?

Looking at Chu Feng, whose expression remained detached, everyone's expressions were somewhat fanatical.

In this world with an absolute worship and belief in power, encountering such a peak existence—let alone being able to do anything, just catching a glimpse of their esteemed countenance could drive people mad.

Seeming to notice that everyone had finally taken note of Chu Feng, Xiao Huohuo wore a smile.

Although Master did not care about matters of fame and fortune, he could still be considered to have vindicated Master.

It seemed this vindication had not yet been fully completed.

Xiao Huohuo coughed to draw everyone's attention.

Yet he spoke with disdain:

"Grandmaster?"

"What is a grandmaster? They aren't even fit to shine my Master's shoes!"

"My Master, why, he is an immortal among men!"