Hearing Chen Qingyu's bewildered words, Chen Qinggu's expression shifted, and he remarked casually:
"Chang Qianjiao and Princess Ao really are no surprise.
"Those two little girls both refuse to admit defeat. Seeing you defeat me, they were bound to want to test your abilities."
Hearing this, Chen Qingyu asked curiously:
"Little girls?
"Chang Qianjiao is only twelve. Is Princess Ao very young too?"
Chen Qinggu shrugged.
"I've fought Princess Ao twice. She seems to be a young dragon, no older than eight."
Hearing this, Chen Qingyu could not help clicking his tongue.
"Tsk, tsk.
"A young dragon not even eight years old... The Desolate Continent really is vast, with monstrous talents emerging one after another."
He had thought that reaching the upper ranks of the Combat Victory Rankings and War God Rankings in [Blood Sea Heaven] at the age of six was outrageous enough.
He had never imagined that the East Sea Dragon Clan had someone even more outrageous.
After all, he was mentally an adult, and a cheat user at that; Princess Ao, however, truly was a little female dragon not yet eight years old.
"Well?"
Chen Qinggu teased with a smile:
"Want to have a go against the two of them?"
"I'll pass."
Chen Qingyu shook his head and said:
"Fighting you let me see my own shortcomings, cousin.
"My martial technique attainment is too low, I'm not yet proficient at applying them, and my combat experience is clearly lacking. There's still plenty of room for my strength to grow.
"I can barely spare enough time to train in the [Martial Practice Hall]. How would I have time to fight other people?"
The supreme geniuses at the top of the Combat Victory Rankings had all reached major accomplishment in their martial techniques. Improving their strength was difficult, so they hoped to hone themselves through constant combat.
But he was different.
His three supreme martial techniques were only at the introductory stage. His potential could be called limitless, so there was no need to rush into accumulating combat experience now.
"You're certainly levelheaded, cousin."
Hearing this, Chen Qinggu praised him:
"Your combat talent and ability to adapt on the spot are both among the finest in the world. All you lack is refinement in your martial techniques.
"Once you make up for that shortcoming, your strength will surely leave the rest of us far behind. You might even have a chance of challenging Zhou Chenlong and pulling him down from his pedestal!"
At these words, Chen Qingyu's eyes flickered slightly.
"Zhou Chenlong...
"Cousin, have you fought him? Just how strong is he?"
Hearing this, Chen Qinggu's gaze briefly grew distant, and he sighed deeply.
"Strong! Extremely strong!
"About two years ago, I fought him, but he crushed me with a single punch. It was an utter defeat!"
"What?"
Chen Qingyu started in shock.
"Just one punch?"
He had experienced Chen Qinggu's strength firsthand.
He truly found it hard to imagine that anyone at the same realm could defeat him with a single punch.
Just how terrifying would that strength have to be?
"Yes."
Chen Qinggu's expression was grave.
"I lost to just one punch, without the slightest power to resist!
"And that was before he cleared the eighth floor of the [War God Tower]."
As he spoke, he sighed softly.
"After Zhou Chenlong cleared the eighth floor, his strength reached a level unfathomable even to gods and ghosts. From then on, no one dared challenge him again.
"Because we all knew the gap was too great. There was no longer any point.
"We're all still climbing the mountain, but he already stands at its summit, towering proudly over the world, looking down upon all the lesser peaks.
"Only if a second invincible genius clears the eighth floor of the [War God Tower] can anyone truly shake Zhou Chenlong on his pedestal."
Hearing this, Chen Qingyu drew a deep breath and asked:
"Just how difficult is the eighth floor of the [War God Tower]?"
Chen Qinggu let out a long sigh.
"Terrifyingly difficult! Beyond your imagination!
"The opponents on the eighth floor are all elite-level talents of the sacred lands, top experts who established their foundations with eight martial meridians and reached major accomplishment in their martial techniques. Pick any one of them, and they would be good enough to rank in the top ten of [Divine Capital Changluo].
"And on the eighth floor, you have to face two thousand of these top martial artists.
"These two thousand opponents practice all kinds of cultivation methods and martial techniques and coordinate seamlessly with one another. They know no fear, never retreat, and do not fear death or injury. Cold as iron, they are the most terrifying army of martial artists."
As he spoke, he gave a bitter smile.
"To tell you the truth, I challenged it once and lost miserably. To this day, I haven't dared try a second time.
"On the eighth floor, powerful enemies surround you on every side. The challenger is effectively dancing on a knife's edge, trapped between life and death at every moment. The slightest misstep will leave you without an intact corpse.
"With my strength, even if it increased severalfold, I'm afraid I would still have no hope of clearing it."
"It's that insane?"
Chen Qingyu sucked in a breath of cold air and could not help asking:
"Then how did Zhou Chenlong clear the eighth floor?"
He knew Chen Qinggu's strength intimately. He truly had few rivals at the same realm and could roam unchallenged across the world.
Yet even a supreme genius like him shrank back at the sight of the [War God Tower]'s eighth floor!
Just how had Zhou Chenlong managed it?
"I don't know."
Chen Qinggu shook his head and said:
"They say he failed many times when he first challenged the eighth floor too.
"But late one night, he suddenly entered the Supreme Void Dao Realm and cleared the eighth floor in a single attempt. It shook the Desolate Continent, and from then on he ascended his pedestal. No one has been able to shake his position since."
Hearing this, Chen Qingyu looked thoughtful.
"It sounds as though he suddenly had an awakening and discovered some trick."
"Perhaps."
Chen Qinggu shook his head and said:
"In any case, I've already given up on challenging the eighth floor. In a month at most, I plan to advance to the Golden Bridge Realm and head to [Golden Bridge Heaven]."
As he spoke, he looked at Chen Qingyu and said:
"Cousin Young Lord.
"You also cultivate a supreme heavenly art and have forged the strongest possible foundation, not the slightest bit inferior to Zhou Chenlong's.
"Once your martial techniques reach major accomplishment and your strength reaches the limits of the Blood Sea Realm, you might really be able to clear the eighth floor and pull Zhou Chenlong down from his pedestal."
Chen Qingyu smiled faintly.
"Then may your auspicious words come true, cousin."
Having defeated Chen Qinggu and become the clan's number one genius, his next goal was naturally to defeat Zhou Chenlong.
But he had a clear understanding of where he stood.
At present, his strength was at most a notch above Chen Qinggu's. He likewise had no hope of clearing the eighth floor of the [War God Tower].
And wanting to challenge Zhou Chenlong without even being able to clear the [War God Tower]'s eighth floor was the stuff of a fool's dreams.
To defeat Zhou Chenlong, he would either have to train painstakingly in the [Martial Practice Hall], bringing his three supreme martial techniques to major accomplishment, or even perfection!
Or he would have to rely on checking in at the Floating Heavenly Palace to obtain stronger great divine abilities!
With these thoughts in mind, Chen Qingyu suddenly spoke:
"Oh, right, Cousin Qinggu.
"I wanted to ask-when you fought me, why were you able to ignore the rules of the earth's repulsive force and fly and maneuver freely using primal magnetism?"
This was something he was quite curious about but had yet to figure out.
Hearing this, Chen Qinggu smiled faintly and said:
"This is a mystery of primal magnetism that took me ten years to comprehend.
"With your talent and comprehension, Cousin Young Lord, and having cultivated the power of Celestial Star Primal Magnetism, you will grasp this level sooner or later too.
"But I'm about to advance to [Golden Bridge Heaven], so keeping this secret is no use. I'll teach it to you today, cousin."