Behind Yuan Hao, a little girl with a somewhat baby face, also at the Spirit Transformation Realm stage, looked at Yang Zhen timidly, her eyes full of curiosity.
When Yuan Hao stepped forward, a curious glint flashed in the little girl's eyes, as if she were comparing Yang Zhen to Yuan Hao.
After comparing and comparing, without even knowing how they were comparing, the little girl's gaze finally settled on Yuan Hao, her chubby baby face filled with admiration.
Yuan Hao glanced at the little girl's expression, his arrogant look deepening. He smiled and said, "Master is right. However, the courage to break legends has always been Yuan Hao's greatest motivation. Now that I've met Senior Yang Zhen, it's inevitable that I'm a little tempted. I hope Senior Yang Zhen will laugh at me."
Yang Zhen... Senior?
Hearing this, Yang Zhen stared blankly at Yuan Hao. This guy was only two or three years younger than him, yet he called him "senior." Did that mean that in Yuan Hao's eyes, Yang Zhen was already outdated?
He's quite the sharp-tongued fellow.
But who is Yang Zhen?
He has never lost a verbal battle.
Seeing the amused expressions on the faces of the group of elderly men and women, Yang Zhen grinned, walked over to Yuan Hao, and patted Yuan Hao on the shoulder twice, making Yuan Hao grimace and his face turn red, before finally speaking, "Young and promising, young and promising indeed! You young people are like waves crashing against the shore, always on the rise, until you finally drown on the beach. Listen to your master's teachings more often, so we seniors won't have to worry about you."
The group of people were completely dumbfounded. Even the gentleman almost couldn't hold back his laughter; his old face turned red and twitched.
The crowd that had already formed a large circle around them didn't hold back anymore and burst into laughter, creating a spectacular and bustling scene.
" Yang Zhen really has a sharp tongue. Look at Yuan Hao's face; he looks like he's eaten a pound of dead rats."
"Whose fault is this? It's entirely his own doing. Yang Zhen was talking with several senior figures, what kind of person is he to suddenly jump in like that?"
" Yuan Hao is now completely outmatched. He intended to ridicule Yang Zhen, but Yang Zhen outwitted him with just a few words."
"Shh, keep your voices down. I've heard that Yuan Hao is a once-in-a-millennium genius in the East Sea. In just over a year, he has already reached the Spirit Transformation Realm and is said to be about to break through to the Heavenly Cycle Realm. Moreover, he has comprehended a Great Dao, which is said to be the inheritance of a Great Emperor of the East Sea. He has come here to debate the Dao with the Central Emperor."
"What? He inherited the Great Emperor's Dao? This... is terrifying. Yang Zhen has offended someone like this; he's unlikely to have a good ending."
"That's not necessarily true. Although we don't know what Dao Yang Zhen has comprehended, Yang Zhen strength is undeniable. If we don't debate the Dao and only consider strength, Yuan Hao might not be able to defeat Yang Zhen."
The surrounding crowd was abuzz with discussion. Most of these cultivators were geniuses from various continents of the Cultivation World, so they wouldn't care about a mere prodigy from the East Sea. They were just wary of the legendary Great Emperor's inheritance path!
Hearing the surrounding discussions, Yuan Hao's expression finally calmed down. He laughed loudly and said to Yang Zhen, " Yang Zhen, the legends of the past are the past. Now, with the revival of vital energy and the emergence of countless changes in the world, the Western Region Demon God Territory has appeared out of nowhere, bringing unprecedented opportunities to the entire Cultivation World. The coming period will be a time when the Great Dao prevails, and temporary cultivation level means nothing."
At this point, Yuan Hao glanced at his master, a playful look flashing across his face, then turned to Yang Zhen and said, "Do you dare to debate with me?"
Upon hearing this, everyone around gasped in surprise and stared at Yuan Hao in astonishment.
"My God, Yuan Hao has issued a challenge to Yang Zhen!"
"It seems Yuan Hao is very confident in his own Dao. Come to think of it, how could the Dao of a great Great Emperor possibly take Yang Zhen seriously? I wonder if Yang Zhen will accept this challenge to debate the Dao."
"They'll probably accept it. Who is Yang Zhen? He seems to have never been afraid of any challenge."
Everyone was shocked. They never expected that Yang Zhen and Yuan Hao would be so hostile to each other so soon after meeting. Now, Yang Zhen and Yuan Hao are representatives of the younger generation, and Yang Zhen is surrounded by many legends.
If Yuan Hao were to decisively defeat Yang Zhen in the debate, Yuan Hao's reputation would almost certainly resound throughout the Western Region, and perhaps even the entire Cultivation World.
All eyes fell on Yang Zhen, and many people also looked at the Master. After all, Yuan Hao and the others were brought by the Master, and Yuan Hao's disrespect for the Master had already made the Master lose face.
Sure enough, the gentleman's expression turned somewhat unpleasant. He frowned and glanced at Yuan Hao, then his expression calmed down, and with a hint of a smile, he actually took half a step back, clearly handing over the decision-making power to Yang Zhen.
Seeing this, the old woman's face flashed with suspicion. She gave Yang Zhen a deep look and coughed lightly.
At this moment, a tall woman with a calm and composed expression walked gracefully to Yuan Hao's side and said softly:
"Senior Brother Yuan, why force him? As everyone knows, Yang Zhen only has decent talent for cultivation. How can his understanding of the Great Dao of Heaven and Earth compare to that of the Great Emperor of the East Sea?"
Upon hearing the woman's words, everyone gasped and looked at the man with strange expressions.
In the entire Cultivation World, there are no grudges or feuds without a reason. Why are these people targeting Yang Zhen Yang Zhen from the very beginning? Do they have some deep-seated hatred for him?
But seeing Yang Zhen's bewildered expression, and the old woman and Yuan Hao's leisurely demeanor, it seemed as if they had no great grudge. This turn of events left everyone speechless.
Yang Zhen looked at the young woman with curiosity and asked in surprise, "Miss, what's your mother's surname?"
"You!"
A flicker of anger crossed the young woman's usually placid High Antiquity as she glared at Yang Zhen and said, "So, the legendary figure of the East Sea is just such a sharp-tongued person?"
Yang Zhen laughed heartily, looking at the two with amusement, and said, "The legendary East Sea? I was just wondering what you bunch of idiots were up to, but now I finally understand!"
Yuan Hao's expression darkened as he stared at Yang Zhen and said, "I don't know what you're talking about. It's just a debate. If you dare, you dare; if you don't, you don't. Why so many excuses?"
Yang Zhen walked towards Yuan Hao step by step, squinting his eyes as he said, "Kid, you make your way in the world one step at a time, not by standing on someone else's shoulders. Didn't your elders tell you that the higher you fly, the harder you fall?"
What are you saying...?
Buzz!
Suddenly, an almost imperceptible Dao Rhyme flashed across Yang Zhen's body, like a gentle breeze brushing past. Everyone felt a comfortable sensation, but Yuan Hao's face turned deathly pale. He coughed up a mouthful of blood and staggered back several steps before finally regaining his balance.
"No... no, what is this?"
Yuan Hao looked like a salted fish that had been drained of all its moisture, staring at Yang Zhen with a horrified expression.
Yang Zhen blinked, slowly walked past Yuan Hao, and whispered in Yuan Hao's ear, "Guess?"