Chapter 89: Chapter 89: Just That Arrogant

Three days later, the silhouette of the Red Flame Mountain Range finally appeared in Shen Haoran’s view, which meant the tedious journey was finally over!

ROAR! The Liger Vulture let out a low cry and landed in the mountain forest.

"Let’s go. Red Flame City is right ahead," Elder Huo explained, patting the Liger Vulture on the head. "Flying Beasts aren’t allowed within three miles of the city, so we have to walk from here!"

Shen Haoran nodded nonchalantly. Compared to flying, he much preferred the feeling of solid ground beneath his feet!

The three of them moved quickly, arriving at the city gates half an hour later. Red Flame City was one of the Five Elements Sect’s strongholds in the Southern Domain. With Elder Huo leading the way, the trio entered the city without any trouble.

The moment they stepped into the city, a tumultuous wave of noise washed over them. Looking at the bustling streets, Shen Haoran couldn’t help but exclaim, "This really is a major city!"

"Alright, let’s go to the square to check in. I’ll take you on a tour of the city afterward!" Elder Huo led the way, and the two youths hurried to keep up.

Red Flame City’s central square was far larger than the one in Cyan Mountain City. Right now, it was filled with people. A sea of black heads stretched out before them—a spectacular sight!

"Are all these the disciples the Five Elements Sect recruited this year?" Shen Haoran gulped. ’There have to be at least several thousand people here. You could count every chicken, duck, pig, and cow in Cyan Mountain City and still not reach this number! A Major Sect truly lives up to its name!’

Seeing Shen Haoran’s shocked expression, Elder Huo chuckled. "Most of these people will become Outer Disciples. The ones who can truly enter the Five Great Halls are up at the front. Come on, I’ll take you to have a look!"

With that, Elder Huo started clearing a path, and Shen Haoran followed. As expected of a Spirit Aspect Powerhouse, the surrounding Martial Artists automatically parted to let them through wherever he went. Shen Haoran trailed closely behind, enjoying the effortless passage.

It just went to show how massive the square was. Even at their pace, it took the trio nearly twenty minutes to reach the Martial Arts Arena at its center. By the time they arrived, a group of people were already gathered on the arena, chatting and laughing.

However, as soon as Elder Huo stepped onto the Martial Arts Arena with the two youths, the others stopped talking and looked over.

"Well, well, Elder Huo. What brings you back so early this year?" a long-bearded elder said as he stepped forward, his voice dripping with disdain.

Shen Haoran glanced at the long-bearded elder. ’This must be Mu Feng, the head of the Cyan Wood Hall,’ he thought. ’He’s one of the people Elder Huo despises the most!’

"My mission is complete, so of course I’m back. Is there a problem?" Elder Huo said coolly, giving Mu Feng a sideways glance.

"Oh? Mission complete?" Mu Feng snorted, his gaze shifting to the two youths behind Elder Huo. The leaders of the other halls also looked toward Shen Haoran and his companion, their eyes filled with curiosity.

Being scrutinized by four or five Spirit Aspect Powerhouses at once, even someone with Shen Haoran’s composure felt a little unnerved. He wasn’t afraid, though. He met the gazes of the hall leaders head-on, refusing to back down.

"Haha, Elder Huo, are these the Elite Disciples you found for your Red Flame Hall? Tsk, tsk. You really are getting old. Your judgment has gotten terrible. This little girl clearly has a Water Attribute physique. As for this boy... did you bring him here to clean the latrines for the Red Flame Hall?" Mu Feng sneered, looking at Shen Haoran and his companion with utter disdain.

"Hmph! Elder Mu, how the Red Flame Hall chooses its disciples is none of your business!" Elder Huo glared, shocked that Mu Feng would be so brazen.

"How is it none of my business? The Red Flame Hall is one of the Five Great Halls. If you casually drag some worthless trash into it, aren’t you damaging the prestige of all Five Great Halls? How are we supposed to face the true geniuses we recruit in the future?

Furthermore, no matter how far the Red Flame Hall has fallen, you can’t just violate the old Sect Leader’s rules. The Red Flame Hall does not accept Martial Artists who don’t have an Extreme Attribute physique. Don’t tell me you’re just grabbing random people to fill your quota! Do you have any respect for the rules at all?" Mu Feng finished, bringing up the old Sect Leader to pressure him.

"You..." Elder Huo was speechless with rage. Just as he was about to let loose a stream of curses, Shen Haoran spoke up from behind him.

"Tsk, tsk. And here I thought the Five Elements Sect was a Major Sect. I never expected to find someone like you here," Shen Haoran said casually, cleaning out his ear. "Does everyone in the Cyan Wood Hall act like you? A bunch of mad dogs, barking at anyone who passes by?"

’Honestly, I just wanted to quietly pass this new disciple assessment, enter the Red Flame Hall, learn Elder Huo’s Fire Manipulation Skill, and search for the Fire Spirit Pearl. That was it. I had planned to keep a low profile, but I’d been dragged into this mess and called trash! This was intolerable. This was the last straw! Damn it, if I don’t take these arrogant bastards down a notch, I’m unworthy of being the successor to the Chaos Divine Body!’

Upon hearing Shen Haoran’s words, Mu Feng’s gaze turned frigid. Staring daggers at Shen Haoran, he said in a chilling tone, "Who are you calling a mad dog?!"

"Huh? You couldn’t tell?" Shen Haoran said, looking at Mu Feng like he was an idiot. "Who else would I be talking about? It’s a wonder you’ve managed to live this long with that level of intelligence."

BOOM! The instant Shen Haoran finished speaking, a terrifying aura erupted from Mu Feng. The immense pressure shattered the stone slabs at his feet and rushed toward Shen Haoran!

"Mu Feng, what do you think you’re doing!" Seeing Mu Feng move against Shen Haoran, Elder Huo instantly appeared in front of the boy, shielding him.

"This brat is insolent! He dared to disrespect his elder! I’m going to teach him a lesson!" Mu Feng sneered.

’Teach me a lesson?’ Shen Haoran sneered inwardly. ’That wave of pressure alone was enough to cripple me. The aura of a Spirit Aspect Powerhouse was a natural force, far beyond what a mere Tier Eight Spirit Pupil like him could ever hope to withstand!’

"Insolent? Hmph!" Elder Huo shot back. "If someone called you fucking trash, would you just smile and politely reason with them?"

"Was I wrong?" Mu Feng snorted. He then called out to a young man standing behind him, "Mu Feiyu, step forward! Show him what a real genius looks like!"

At this, a handsome, clean-cut youth stepped forward and looked at Shen Haoran with an arrogant air. Mu Feng pointed to him and declared, "This is Mu Feiyu. He is seventeen years old and a Half-Step Spirit General with an Extreme Wood Attribute physique. He once fought a Tier One Spirit General to a standstill! *This* is what you call a genius. And you? A Tier Eight Spirit Pupil? Without even an Extreme Attribute physique? What right do you have to be standing here?"

Mu Feng’s words echoed in the air. The leaders of the other halls seemed to agree with him. Behind each of them stood two or three youths, all of whom were either exceptionally talented or immensely powerful. A good number of them had already reached the Spirit General realm. In their eyes, Shen Haoran was truly beneath their notice.

"What right do I have to be standing here..." Shen Haoran repeated, looking at the countless pairs of doubting eyes. Fury ignited in his chest. ’A man lives to fight for his dignity, to prove his worth. And they’re looking down on me like this?’ The thought sent a towering rage surging through him.

"Because I am stronger than all of them! And the first place in this new disciple assessment? I, Shen Haoran, am taking it!"

Pure arrogance. That was Shen Haoran. He pointed at the Spirit Generals, the genius disciples with Extreme Attribute physiques, his posture utterly domineering. His stance screamed a simple message: ’None of you are a match for me. In my eyes, you’re all trash!’