Chapter 144 First Place on the Hidden Dragon List

Ye Fan watched the figures flying rapidly through the sky, unable to resist showing an expression of interest; he wanted to see just how strong this so-called true Prodigy actually was.

This group moved extremely fast; while the crowd was still discussing them, they had already arrived outside the Southern Wasteland Desert.

Although the male Cultivator leading them looked to be in his early twenties, his aura was reserved and his cultivation was extremely deep; he was clearly a powerhouse at the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment Realm.

This person was only one step away from entering the Core Formation Realm. Such Aptitude was even much stronger than Su Ningxue's back then; he truly lived up to being one of the top Prodigies on the hidden dragon ranking.

It would be one thing if it were just him, but every member of this group had reached the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment Realm, their strength far surpassing Lü Xuan and the others.

Seeing this, the expressions of the high-level members of the Nine Great Sects instantly became somewhat uneasy.

"The Cultivators of the Central Continent are truly monsters," the crowd couldn't help but remark with emotion.

Seeing that their reinforcements had arrived, Lü Xuan, Wei Jun, and the others immediately straightened their backs and hurried forward to greet them.

"We pay our respects to Senior Brother Ye Feng!"

"We pay our respects to Senior Brother Ye Feng!"

"We pay our respects to Senior Brother Ye Feng!"

...

As a leading figure of the Central Continent's younger generation and the number one Prodigy on the hidden dragon ranking, any Cultivator of the same generation would have to respectfully call him Senior Brother upon meeting him.

Although the group behind Ye Feng was also extraordinary, they were slightly inferior compared to him.

Everyone stepped forward to offer compliments, but Ye Feng's expression was somewhat displeased.

He glanced at the nearby Nine Great Sects and questioned everyone about what was going on, asking why there were so many outsiders present for this trial.

"This..."

Upon hearing this, the faces of Lü Xuan and the others instantly turned pale; for a moment, they were at a loss for words, not daring to speak the truth.

"Speak. What exactly is going on?" Ye Feng said with a cold face.

Since things had come to this, they could only brace themselves and speak, recounting the entire sequence of events from beginning to end.

Naturally, in their version, they didn't fail to embellish their own roles, claiming they had simply come for a friendly exchange and completely omitting their arrogant and overbearing behavior.

"That's pretty much how it happened... we were momentarily careless and lost to him... and news of the trial leaked out..."

Before Lü Xuan could finish his sentence, Ye Feng struck out with a palm across the Void Realm, slapping him in the face. The blow made Lü Xuan see stars, and blood flowed uncontrollably from the corner of his mouth.

"Useless trash. You couldn't even handle a bunch of natives and even leaked the secrets of the trial."

Although Lü Xuan felt wronged in his heart after being scolded so severely, he didn't dare to say a single harsh word to Ye Feng's face.

The other Prodigies who had lost to Ye Fan also had unsightly expressions, keeping their heads down and not daring to say a word.

"If I had known, I wouldn't have let you come first. You've truly disgraced our Central Continent," Wu Wenzhan, ranked third on the hidden dragon ranking, spoke slowly.

"It's too late to say that now. With these fellows interfering, things might be a bit troublesome moving forward," Li Baiyang, ranked fourth on the hidden dragon ranking, couldn't help but say.

"What's wrong with Old Li today, boosting others' morale while undermining our own? You're not scared too, are you?"

The one speaking this time was Yuwen Wuji, ranked fifth on the hidden dragon ranking. This person hailed from the famous Thunder Punishment Sect of the Central Continent and was the Sect Master's most beloved closed-door Disciple; his temper was the most fiery among them.

As Yuwen Wuji spoke, he wanted to go and fight Ye Fan to see what kind of ability this Prodigy, who had supposedly swept through the hidden dragon ranking, actually possessed. However, just as he was about to strike, he was stopped by Ye Feng.

"Enough. The trial is the most important thing right now. It won't be too late to settle any scores after it's over."

While speaking, Ye Feng looked toward Ye Fan. The two locked eyes across the distance, and invisible sparks seemed to erupt between them.

If someone else had said those words, Yuwen Wuji might have already attacked, but when Ye Feng spoke, he only gave a cold snort and stopped in his tracks.

Although their voices weren't loud, many Core Formation Realm Cultivators from the Nine Great Sects were present, so they naturally heard everything clearly.

Everyone's gaze toward Ye Feng changed slightly as they secretly calculated just how much weight the number one on the hidden dragon ranking truly carried.

As they spoke, the wind and sand gradually weakened, soon reaching a point where Core Formation Realm Cultivators could force their way through.

To gain the initiative, the powerhouses of the Nine Great Sects rushed into the desert one after another, intending to enter the Xuantian Sword Sect before Ye Feng and his group.

Everyone was initially somewhat secretly pleased; as long as they secured the benefits first, the factions behind Ye Feng would have no reason to lash out.

Yet, to their surprise, those people didn't show the slightest hint of panic; instead, there was a sense of gloating in their expressions.

"There's likely something strange inside. Be careful."

Ye Fan sent a voice transmission to Su Ningxue. She nodded and followed the others in.

Everyone waited for about another half-hour until the sandstorm that blotted out the sky finally lost its former power. Ye Fan and the others immediately rushed in.

The Southern Wasteland Desert stretched as far as the eye could see, spanning a vast area of nearly a hundred thousand miles.

Originally, it wouldn't have been easy to find the Sect ruins within such a massive area, but since the Nine Great Sects had brought enough people this time, several dozen Core Formation Realm Cultivators cast a wide net and quickly found the destination. However, the result was beyond everyone's expectations.

Ye Fan and the others communicated using Magical Artifacts and quickly caught up with the vanguard.

As for Ye Feng and his group, they followed unhurriedly, their leisurely manner making it seem like they were taking a stroll.

When Ye Fan and the others arrived, they saw several dozen Core Formation Realm Cultivators from the Nine Great Sects staring blankly in front of piles of ruins and rubble.

Before them was an ancient-looking formation that appeared to be a Teleportation Array from a long time ago.

"What's going on?"

Ye Fan asked Su Ningxue via voice transmission, only to hear her let out a faint sigh.

"We've been tricked. Core Formation Realm Cultivators can't enter the ruins of the Xuantian Sword Sect at all."

Ye Fan looked at the Teleportation Array in front of him and then at the closely following Ye Feng and the others, instantly understanding something.

"It's a trap."

Initially, everyone thought it was because they had gotten carried away and carelessly leaked the trial information, but thinking about it now, they had been too naive.

For someone to be called a Prodigy, both strength and Heart-Nature were indispensable; how could they make such a low-level mistake?

These guys had planned it from the very beginning, deliberately leaking news about the trial so the Nine Great Sects would serve as free labor.

Otherwise, with just their thirty or so Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators, trying to find the Xuantian Sword Sect ruins in this vast desert would undoubtedly be like looking for a needle in a haystack.

They even knew long ago that this Teleportation Array only allowed Foundation Establishment Realm Cultivators to pass through, so they weren't worried at all about the Nine Great Sects getting there first.

According to the unwritten rules of the cultivation world, as long as they secured the items first, the Nine Great Sects wouldn't have the courage to strike, or they would have to face the wrath of the powers behind them.

It's said that a higher rank crushes those below, and this was even more true between Cultivator Sects. Having suffered a hidden loss, the Nine Great Sects could only swallow their grievances.

Ye Feng and the others stepped forward naturally, while Lü Xuan and his ilk behind them wore wicked smiles; their "revenge-is-sweet" expressions carried a hint of petty triumph.