Chapter 265: Martial Arts Grand Ceremony
"I feel incredible. I'm so energized, not exhausted like I was before. The pain is gone, too. It's like I've returned to my forties," Chu Tianshan said excitedly.
"That's right. Your Divine Soul has healed. The fatigue, grogginess, and splitting headaches you were feeling were all because your Divine Soul was injured," Chu Feng explained.
"I heard you're leaving tomorrow?" Chu Tianshan asked, letting out a long sigh.
The recovery of his injuries left him feeling incredibly refreshed.
"Yeah, I'm leaving," Chu Feng said.
"In that case, can you promise me one thing before you go?" Chu Tianshan asked.
"No," Chu Feng refused bluntly.
"You're refusing before I've even said what it is?" Chu Tianshan fumed, glaring. He was thoroughly annoyed by Chu Feng's attitude.
"Whatever it is, it's about the Chu Family. What else could it be? You want me to go fight your battles for you again, don't you," Chu Feng said, rolling his eyes.
"You...! You little rascal, you actually guessed it. I want you to attend next year's Martial Arts Grand Ceremony and represent the Chu Family. How about it? I won't ask you for anything else, just this one thing. Consider it me begging you," Chu Tianshan said, lowering his head.
He, the great patriarch of the Chu Family, was speaking to Chu Feng in a pleading tone.
"This Martial Arts Grand Ceremony again... Can't you just send someone else? Don't you have Chu Wushuang? His skills should be fine, right? Why does it have to be me? Besides, even if I did go, I'd go for myself. Why would I need to represent the Chu Family?" Chu Feng said, looking utterly exasperated.
No matter how desperate Chu Tianshan was, Chu Feng had no intention of agreeing.
"You're thinking about it all wrong. You have to be invited to the Martial Arts Grand Ceremony. Without an invitation, you can't attend, period! Plus, this one is being held on Kunlun Mountain. It's the first time our Chu Family is making a public appearance after decades of seclusion. That's why I want you to go and make the Chu Family proud. What do you say?
I, your ancestor, am begging you! This Martial Arts Grand Ceremony is truly vital to our Chu Family!"
From the looks of it, Chu Tianshan was one step away from kneeling to Chu Feng. An old man, old enough to be his grandfather, was pleading with him so desperately.
"This is..." Chu Feng was at a loss for words. He wanted absolutely nothing to do with the Chu Family's affairs.
"I get it. The Chu Family is in a pathetic state now. We have nothing you could possibly want. You have the Heaven-Slaying Sword and the legacy of the Heaven-Slaying Sword Emperor. They're far stronger than many of the Chu Family's own inheritances. So, it's perfectly normal for you to look down on us."
"But you can't just stand by and watch the Chu Family slowly fade into obscurity, can you? You can't watch us be humiliated in front of the other Martial Arts Clans, can you? At the end of the day, your surname is Chu! The blood of the Chu Family flows through your veins!" Chu Tianshan said in desperation.
"Your injuries are healed, aren't they? Why don't you just go yourself? What do you need me for? You're plenty strong," Chu Feng said.
Chu Tianshan's power had already reached the Peak of Foundation Establishment. If not for the injury he sustained all those years ago, he might very well have broken through to the Core Formation Realm.
Although Chu Feng wanted nothing to do with the old man, he had to admit that his innate talent was actually quite formidable.
"The Martial Arts Grand Ceremony is a competition for the younger generation to spar. We old folks can't get on stage. Besides, I'm the patriarch of the Chu Family. If I were to personally compete, what would that imply? That the Chu Family has no worthy successors?"
"As for Chu Wushuang, while it's true he's the strongest of the Chu Family's younger generation, he's only in the Qi Cultivation Realm. To the other Martial Arts Clans, that level of power is nothing. From what I know, many of the young Cultivators from other clans are already approaching the late-stage Qi Cultivation, or even the Peak of Qi Cultivation."
It was true. Having been in seclusion for decades, the Chu Family had fallen far behind the other Martial Arts Families and was struggling to catch up.
Among all the Martial Arts Families in the nation, the Chu Family might even be dead last.
"Fine," Chu Feng sighed. "I'll go. But let me be clear: I'm just going to take a look. Whether or not I actually help is another matter entirely."
'Truth be told, I do want to go have a look. After all, there will be plenty of masters at the Martial Arts Grand Ceremony.'
'I'd like to test my skills against those guys.'
'It's the only way to rapidly increase my strength and accumulate combat experience.'
"You agreed? That's wonderful!" Hearing Chu Feng's words, Chu Tianshan's eyes lit up, his face beaming with excitement.
He wasn't just happy; he was ecstatic. As his own power returned, he could sense Chu Feng's terrifying strength all the more clearly.
'Even I might not be able to take him down in a fight. If Chu Feng represents the Chu Family, our chances of winning will be huge.'
'After all, with his level of strength, he's practically invincible among the younger generation of all the Martial Arts Families.'
'Probably no one is his match, unless some of the old patriarchs from the other Martial Arts Families decide to intervene.'