"Hmph, another one of those tricks."
Chu Chen frowned. "It seems Chu Yunxiong has a few tricks up his sleeve."
Chu Chen was not flustered.
He had long known that this black-clothed man possessed something similar.
That was why, as he approached, he deliberately exposed a weakness, allowing him to easily pierce his shoulder.
The reason he didn't dodge was, on one hand, to test the extent of his current strength, and on the other hand, to force the black-clothed man to reveal his jade talisman, thus seizing the opportunity to kill him.
Unfortunately, the black-clothed man was not foolish and still knew how to preserve his strength in a critical moment.
Otherwise, if he had been allowed to crush the jade talisman, Chu Chen would not have eliminated him so easily.
Chu Chen shook his head and was about to leave.
But suddenly, his expression froze, for just then, Chu Chen saw Chu Hao flying from a distance.
Chu Hao was holding a corpse in his hand.
This corpse was the companion of the black-clothed man from earlier.
Moreover, this corpse belonged to a Foundation Establishment realm martial artist, not an ordinary person.
"Are... are you alright?" Chu Hao asked quickly.
"I'm fine," Chu Chen shook his head.
"Right, why did you help me block that black-clothed man earlier? They wanted to kill you!" Chu Chen asked, puzzled.
"Because I hate them too!"
Chu Hao gritted his teeth. "You don't know, they abandoned me in the wilderness to be gnawed by wolves and jackals!"
"So that's how it is."
Chu Chen realized, and then pondered, "Since you have already joined the Chu family, you can no longer be called Chu Hao. Your name should be changed back to Chu Chen."
Chu Hao nodded.
"By the way, I haven't introduced myself yet."
Chu Chen said calmly, "My name is Chu Chen."
Upon hearing this, Chu Hao's heart rejoiced, and he cupped his fists. "Greetings, Brother Chen!"
Chu Chen waved his hand.
The two chatted for a while.
They both learned about each other's situations.
Especially Chu Chen, who understood even more clearly that Chu Hao was willing to remain in the Chu family as a collateral descendant to protect the family and preserve its lineage for him.
"Brother Chu Chen, our Chu martial arts school will likely lose this assessment."
Chu Hao sighed.
"Don't worry, I will win the championship in this assessment!" Chu Chen said.
Chu Hao looked bitter. "I know you've been working hard, Brother Chu Hao, but..."
He glanced around.
At this moment, almost the entire younger generation of the Chu family had gathered in the plaza.
Except for a few who were still sticking to their own cultivation paths, most of them were resting and recovering their qi.
At this moment, Chu Chen's gaze swept across the surroundings.
He noticed that many people's eyes were filled with hostility, carrying a hint of disdain and mockery.
As if looking at a joke, they stared at him coldly.
"Hmph!"
Chu Chen's gaze suddenly turned cold!
"Chu Heng, Chu Yunhe, I remember you!"
He gritted his teeth inwardly, his eyes filled with intense hatred!
"Brother Chen, let's go. Let's head back to the Chu family headquarters first," Chu Hao advised.
Chu Chen nodded. He glanced around the plaza and then strode towards the outer perimeter.
It was still a long distance from the Chu family headquarters.
"Hmph, putting on an act," Chu Heng sneered.
"I think he looks like he's trying to escape!" another young man sneered.
"Whatever, we've done our best anyway!"
"These Chu clan members are increasingly disregarding us! With Chu Heng's severe injuries, he can't participate in the assessment for a while. If this continues, our Chu family will eventually be defeated by them!"
The crowd buzzed with discussion.
Chu Feng, Chu Heng, and Chu Yue'er also stood aside.
"Uncle, what do you think?" Chu Feng asked.
He knew that Chu Feng was a ninth-level Golden Core expert.
It was just that his severe injuries had caused his cultivation to drop, temporarily to the eighth level of Golden Core.
Even though his cultivation had dropped, he was still considered a top-tier expert within the entire Chu family!
"Although my cultivation has decreased, my sword intent has not,"
Chu Feng narrowed his eyes.
He had once killed a ninth-level Golden Core demonic beast with his sword intent, so his control over his sword intent was already masterful.
"If Chu Chen is willing to join the family, I will take him into the Sword Hall and bestow upon him sword technique manuals."
Chu Feng spoke slowly, his voice calm.
"This Chu Chen has decent talent. If cultivated properly, he will definitely grow into an elite disciple of the Sword Hall in the future, and might even become the chief disciple of the Sword Hall!"
"Uncle, are you sure?" Chu Feng was surprised, knowing the importance of the Sword Hall.
It was a powerful institution second only to the Elder Hall! The Sword Hall was specifically responsible for teaching martial apprentices sword techniques and establishing an elder council.
Generally speaking, every elder needed to have at least Foundation Establishment realm cultivation.
The Elder Council had five branches: the Punishment Hall responsible for discipline, the Law Enforcement Team, the Sword Hall, the Saber Hall, and the Spear Hall... these five branches did not interfere with each other.
"Of course, I believe this kid is smart."
Chu Feng nodded, a smile playing on his lips.
He eagerly anticipated Chu Chen's expression upon hearing this good news.
"Alright, I'll contact Second Uncle immediately and tell him about this."
Chu Heng nodded quickly and took out his communication jade pendant.
"No need for the trouble."
Suddenly, Chu Feng stopped him. "I will tell him myself."
With that, he strode forward.
"Uncle,"
Chu Heng was stunned for a moment and quickly followed. "What are you going to do?"
"I'm looking for Chu Heng," Chu Feng said calmly.
"Uncle, I know you're not convinced, but I think if you rush over like this, you might..."
Chu Heng still wanted to persuade him.
However, Chu Chen ignored him and walked directly towards a pavilion.
"Alas."
Chu Heng took a deep breath and could only follow.
"Chu Heng, get out here!"
As soon as he stepped into the pavilion, Chu Feng roared, his voice echoing in all directions!
Instantly, everyone turned to look at him, their eyes flashing with coldness and killing intent.
"Who dares to insult Third Master!"
A group of Chu family disciples immediately surrounded Chu Feng.
"You are Chu Chen?"
"I advise you to kneel and beg for mercy immediately, otherwise, we will break your legs!"
A burly man roared.
This man's cultivation was not weak, reaching the seventh level of Body Tempering!
"Hmph, a mere seventh-level Body Tempering dares to provoke me!"
Chu Chen's face was grim.
Although his dantian had been crippled, his innate talent had not been lost.
Therefore, relying on his martial arts talent, his current cultivation was even stronger than a seventh-level Body Tempering.
Swish!
The long sword was drawn, and with a thrust, it was like lightning piercing the sun, dazzling and brilliant. The sword light was like a rainbow, tearing through the void.
Pfft!
The sword was incredibly fast, directly piercing the throat of the seventh-level Body Tempering martial artist!
Scarlet blood splattered. The burly man clutched his throat, his eyes wide open.
He stared fixedly at Chu Chen, seemingly unable to believe that he had been killed by this former cripple whom he used to bully.
"Chu Heng, you beast!"
On the other side, a young man in a green robe roared in fury, holding a battle spear and lunging at Chu Heng.