Chen Zhou was very polite, but the more polite he was, the more he made Qiangu Zhangting look like a madman.
Seeing everyone's eyes fixed on Chen Zhou, Qiangu Zhangting clenched his teeth so hard they nearly shattered.
He had never hated anyone so much before. He had never wanted so badly to peel someone's skin off while they were still alive and tear the flesh from their bones.
"All right, sit down. You performed very well this time. You also came in first place in this competition."
Qiangu Dongfeng's voice was calm, but as he spoke, he could barely hide the smile on his face.
This time, Qiangu Zhangting hadn't just failed to take second place—he'd been pushed all the way down to third.
That was because Zhang Geyang's disciple—the boy Chen Zhou hadn't eliminated—had also scored more points than Qiangu Zhangting.
And not a single point more or less: exactly ten.
The humiliation was nearly complete. Even Zhang Geyang himself hadn't expected things to backfire and turn into such a mess.
However, Qiangu Dongfeng was clearly much more tolerant of Zhang Geyang.
After all, Zhang Geyang's father and all the generations of elders before him had been high-ranking members of the Qiangu Clan.
His family was also a major faction within the Spirit Pagoda. That was why Qiangu Dongfeng had sent Zhang Geyang to the Star Luo Empire.
His presence—and even the existence of the Zhang family—posed a threat to the Spirit Pagoda's rule.
"You came in first this time. In a little while, you can go to the treasury and choose a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone as your reward."
Meeting Leng Yaozhu's gaze, Qiangu Dongfeng replied just as calmly.
He wasn't the kind of man who couldn't accept defeat, especially since Chen Zhou also had the Qiangu Clan's blood flowing through his veins.
If Zhang Geyang's disciple had won, he definitely wouldn't have accepted it. He might even have tried to block it behind the scenes.
But since the other party also belonged to a collateral branch of the Qiangu Clan, and the two sides hadn't fallen out completely, Qiangu Dongfeng couldn't go too far.
As the saying went, a barefoot man wasn't afraid of a man in shoes. Leng Yaozhu's investment in Chen Zhou was only exploratory.
She would support Chen Zhou with everything she had and even do everything in her power to protect him, but to her, this was only a test—or, more accurately, an experiment.
Whether the experiment succeeded or failed would have no real impact on her.
Chen Zhou cared even less. He had played the obedient one on the surface, but his purpose in coming here was to get a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
As for the struggle between factions, he didn't care.
And yet, his ultimate goal was also to serve the Qiangu Clan—or, more precisely, to claim the position of Spirit Pagoda Master.
With nothing to lose, he, Chen Zhou, wasn't afraid of Qiangu Dongfeng or Qiangu Zhangting. If they wanted revenge, let them try.
His parents had died young, and not one of his relatives had ever treated him like family. As for those so-called uncles and the like, let them die. It had nothing to do with him.
Not to mention, his relationships with those relatives had already been distant. Even if they hadn't been, as a transmigrator, he still wouldn't have developed much affection for them during the few years they'd spent together.
So he was the one with the least to lose.
In this situation, no matter what anyone did, Qiangu Dongfeng and Qiangu Zhangting were the ones who'd end up embarrassed.
Qiangu Dongfeng could see that, too.
So he'd acted rationally and stopped Qiangu Zhangting, not letting his own grandson keep making a scene.
With Qiangu Dongfeng's promise, Chen Zhou and Leng Yaozhu had no reason to linger.
The two got up, dusted themselves off, and turned to leave. Qiangu Dongfeng remained seated calmly, sipping his tea.
Only after the doors had closed did Qiangu Zhangting ask his grandfather in a hoarse voice,
"Grandpa, why didn't you just kill him? That lowly collateral branch brat actually dared to humiliate me like this."
"What gives him the right? He's trash, with impure blood. If the Break Evil Dragon hadn't slowed down my cultivation, I'd have reached the four-ring realm by now and gained even greater strength. How could I have lost to him?"
Qiangu Zhangting gritted his teeth. Besides the Break Evil Dragon inheritance, the Qiangu Clan's foundations lay in the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique.
Both were top-tier legacies.
Once Qiangu Zhangting mastered the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique, he didn't think he'd be any worse than Chen Zhou.
But as Qiangu Dongfeng looked at his own grandson, disappointment flickered across his face.
"Do you believe that if that boy had lost this time, he wouldn't have said a word? He might even have come before the two of us, put on an obedient act, and then praised you to the skies."
Qiangu Dongfeng looked at his grandson. His voice was calm, but what he said was the truth.
If Chen Zhou had really lost, he wouldn't have cared about saving face. He would certainly have come over and praised Qiangu Zhangting sincerely, hoping to gain even greater benefits.
Of course, winning would always be best, because the Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was the greatest reward.
But at Qiangu Dongfeng's words, Qiangu Zhangting curled his lip in disdain.
"I'm not that collateral branch trash. I have self-respect and dignity."
"After being defeated, instead of thinking about revenge, I'm supposed to think about those useless things?"
Qiangu Zhangting's voice brimmed with anger, but Qiangu Dongfeng merely glanced at him calmly, rose slowly, and turned to leave.
His grandson had been completely blinded by hatred. After a single defeat, he was already starting to act without regard for the consequences.
Failure wasn't anything to fear. There would always be someone stronger out there. Being defeated was nothing to be afraid of, either.
The Coiling Dragon Staff grew stronger the further one progressed, especially when wielded with the Coiling Dragon Staff Technique.
Once the technique was mastered and paired with the inherited Evil-Breaking Dragon Martial Soul, all one had to do was become a Limit Douluo to reach the very pinnacle of Limit Douluos.
Yet his grandson, whom he'd thought so highly of, had allowed a single win or loss to trap him completely.
Qiangu Dongfeng hadn't expected that.
Or perhaps even he, a Limit Douluo, hadn't realized that a life of smooth sailing did nothing at all to cultivate a person's character.
Meanwhile, with Qiangu Dongfeng's permission, Chen Zhou didn't waste a moment.
He didn't go looking for Leng Yaozhu, either. He trotted straight to the treasury by himself.
After all, although Leng Yaozhu was powerful, she couldn't compare to Neuvillette.
He could leave the Soul Bone selection entirely to Neuvillette. Neuvillette would surely be able to pick one out.
After all, Chen Zhou wasn't looking for a Soul Bone that suited him. He wanted one that Neuvillette could modify.
A Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone was already the highest grade of Soul Bone, but if it could withstand Neuvillette's modifications, it would only grow stronger and stronger—so strong it would become absurd.
That was what Chen Zhou needed.
How powerful could an ordinary Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone really be, even if it came with two Soul Skills?
But with Neuvillette around, even if he changed one of its abilities, the two abilities it ended up with would still far surpass the Soul Skills normally granted by a Hundred Thousand Year Soul Bone.
That was what Chen Zhou needed—and what would pair best with his Primordial Dragon Martial Soul.