Upon reverting to human form, Luo Bo saw the elders standing behind Chen Feng and immediately knelt down. "Third-line Lieutenant Luo Bo pays his respects to the Elders!"

"Hm!" Long Yi raised a hand, and the pressure on Luo Bo instantly lifted, allowing him to stand. "You performed well this time. Henceforth, you shall be an Inner-line Lieutenant!"

Hearing the words "Inner-line Lieutenant," Luo Bo's face flushed with nervous excitement. He quickly stammered, "Thank you, Great Elder, thank you, Great Elder!"

"Third-line? Inner-line?" Chen Feng asked with confusion. "What do those mean?"

"Reporting to Lord Dragon God," Long Yi bowed deeply. "The Dragon Clan's ranking system is strictly regulated. All combat sequences are divided into two main categories: Inner-line and Outer-line. The Inner-line is composed of core descendants who possess high concentrations of Flame Dragon blood. The Outer-line is further divided into First, Second, and Third lines. This young fellow Luo Bo is merely a Third-line Lieutenant of the Outer-line!"

"Besides the difference in Flame Dragon blood concentration, what is the distinction between Inner-line and Outer-line?" Seeing Luo Bo's agitated state, Chen Feng knew the difference was certainly more significant than just blood purity.

"Inner-line disciples receive the best cultivation conditions within the Clan and gain access to more powerful and potent magical incantations!" Long Yi replied.

Chen Feng nodded thoughtfully, then asked, "How is the concentration of Flame Dragon blood determined? Aren't you all Dragon Clan? Why is there a distinction in Flame Dragon blood concentration?"

Long Yi explained, "Lord Dragon God, you witnessed Luo Bo's true form just now. Although the Dragon Clan is revered as divine beasts, only the Flame Dragon can successfully ascend to godhood. Only in the Flame Dragon form can one become a god. Therefore, Inner-line disciples always manifest in a long, serpentine form. The closer their form resembles the Flame Dragon, the faster their cultivation will advance!"

"Long, serpentine form?" Chen Feng pondered for a moment, then understood. The long, serpentine form Great Elder Long Yi mentioned naturally resembled the Chinese Dragon. The fact that the Inner-line disciples' appearance was somewhat similar to the Flame Dragon shocked and puzzled him.

Just as he was about to press for more clarity, Xiao Hu stretched and rubbed his massive tiger paw against his head, shakily standing up before slowly transforming into human form.

"Great Elder, Second Elder, Third Elder, Fourth Elder, Fifth Elder!" Without seeming bothered by the formality, he greeted them all sequentially. "Wow, it's good you all came! You wouldn't believe how dangerous it was just now..."

Xiao Hu stood there, rambling on incessantly.

The five elders did not show any annoyance, allowing him to continue his lengthy monologue.

After chattering for a moment, Xiao Hu searched behind the group for a while, failing to locate the brocade-robed middle-aged man. He asked, "Where is that guy in the silk robe from before?"

"He was disciplined by the Elders just now!" Chen Feng explained, then checked on Xiao Hu. "Are you alright?"

Xiao Hu's eyebrows shot up. "Don't you know the physical constitution of me, Xiao Hu? Of course, I'm fine. I was just knocked out... I'm good once I wake up!"

In his human guise, Xiao Hu appeared somewhat slender. As he spoke of his physical constitution, he deliberately clenched his fists and struck a pose showing off his biceps—a classic front double biceps display. The posture instantly drew laughter from the assembled group.

From the smiles of the five elders, Chen Feng detected an undercurrent of deep affection and indulgence, finally realizing why Xiao Hu could be so unrestrained in the presence of the Dragon Clan Elders. In the hearts of these old figures, Xiao Hu was merely a child, a very young one at that.

Then again, Xiao Hu wasn't even four years old by true age. Compared to the tens of thousands of years of the Dragon Clan lifespan, or even compared to humans, he was indeed a child. If his father hadn't burned his soul to sustain him before death, his intelligence might still be that of an eight or nine-year-old. His childish demeanor was therefore not surprising.

"Greetings, Second Elder!" Ling Feng bowed as she addressed Feng Xiang.

Feng Xiang nodded in acknowledgment.

"Are these your Fire Phoenix descendants?" Great Elder Long Yi's eyes brightened upon seeing Ling Feng. "Indeed impressive!"

"She is, how about that? She's only sixteen this year, yet she's nearing the realm of a Seventh-level Dou Zun," Feng Xiang stated, a hint of pride coloring his tone. Having just suffered a loss, his intention in boasting about Ling Feng was clearly to deflate the Dragon Clan's high spirits. Chen Feng, as the Flame Dragon successor, was only a Third-level Dou Zun, and older than Ling Feng; thus, in terms of innate talent, she far surpassed him.

Great Elder Long Yi, having lived for over ten millennia, recognized this petty maneuvering immediately; to miss it would be embarrassing. He smoothly replied, "Lord Dragon God has not yet returned to the Dragon Clan; he hasn't even seen the Flame Dragon Secret Codex. Naturally, he cannot keep pace with those you specifically nurture!"

"Never been to the Dragon Domain..." Feng Xiang was genuinely surprised, looking at Chen Feng with an expression of utter disbelief.

No one knew better than Feng Xiang the treatment Ling Feng received within her family—elixirs, every type of cultivation technique... anything that could boost her power was utilized. Nearly the entire wisdom and resources of the Phoenix Clan were expended to help her reach Seventh-level Dou Zun status at the age of sixteen! Yet, this youth, barely older than Ling Feng, had achieved Third-level Dou Zun without any reliance on external factions. How could this not astonish him?

Hearing this, Xiao Hu piped up loudly, "Boss, when I first met him three years ago, he was only a Second-level Dou Shi! In three years, he jumped from Second-level Dou Shi to Third-level Dou Zun, and he did it entirely alone, with no guidance. In terms of cultivation speed, who among you can compare?"

Xiao Hu’s tone was thick with pride, his words clearly enunciated. The moment he finished speaking, everyone present was frozen in shock!

Three years to advance from Second-level Dou Shi to Dou Zun... What kind of terrifying cultivation speed was that? Dou Shi was already a major bottleneck in cultivation, and Dou Zun was known as the killer of geniuses. To surpass both hurdles in just three years—was he even human? Even the Dragon Clan couldn't boast such rapid progress!

Everyone took a sharp intake of breath.

However, Xiao Hu seemed determined to drop even bigger bombshells, continuing, "Boss was cultivating on the continent of the Four Great Empires. If he were here, where the Heaven and Earth Yuan Qi is twice as dense, he would probably have already broken through to Dou Sheng..."

A wave of dizziness washed over everyone, and a single thought echoed in their minds: This is a true genius!

Even the usually supremely confident Leidi was stunned into silence, his self-confidence nearly shattered. Feng Xiang looked particularly bitter; intending to mock the other party, he discovered the subject was far more formidable than imagined. The Phoenix Clan practiced Dou Qi, and they understood the speed of martial advancement intimately. Feng Xiang himself had been hailed as the clan's greatest achievement for taking thirty years to advance from Dou Shi to Dou Zun. Compared to this youth, he wasn't even worthy of being a shoe-shiner...

Thirty years versus three years was not merely a tenfold difference in time, but fundamentally a disparity in innate talent. Moreover, even though this youth was only a Third-level Dou Zun now, he had emerged unharmed from the combined assault of Feng Xiang, Le'ao, and Lord Ziyuan just moments ago. His sheer power was terrifyingly unprecedented!

"It seems with a Dragon God possessing this level of talent, the Dragon Clan's rise is inevitable!" Feng Xiang finally realized how utterly foolish it had been to oppose the Dragon Domain.

Chen Feng, realizing his cultivation speed had shocked everyone present, shook his head and paid them no further mind. With a flip of his wrist, he retrieved the Xuantian Illustrated Codex, which he had painstakingly acquired from Douglas, from his "Divine Light Mansion," and handed it to Ling Feng.

"You should keep this," he said.

At this, everyone else froze on the spot once more. How precious the Xuantian Illustrated Codex was, everyone present knew full well. Its value was enough to make people like Feng Xiang and Le'ao fight to the death, yet Chen Feng was casually gifting away the treasure he had worked so hard to obtain!

"Lord Dragon God..." Long Yi called out nervously. "If we had this, we wouldn't even need to participate in this year's Grand Five Tournament..."

Chen Feng paid no attention to the mention of the tournament. With another flip of his wrist, he produced another Xuantian Illustrated Codex, obtained from Douglas, and tossed it casually to Long Yi. "I have another copy. There's no need for so many..."

"..." Everyone was speechless, their eyes wide and rounded. The Xuantian Illustrated Codex... He has two copies...

Silence descended, absolute and profound. Everyone stared at Chen Feng with expressions of utter horror. Long Yi nervously grasped the codex in his palm, his spiritual power sweeping over it, causing his breathing to rapidly quicken. "This is... this is the original manuscript left by Senior Flame Dragon!"

Chen Feng nodded, feeling it was nothing extraordinary. However, he was unaware that, following this event, both Feng Xiang and Le'ao had etched his name deeply into their memories, recognizing him as the eventual supreme leader of the Four Great Divine Beasts.

"Thank you," Ling Feng said softly, handing the codex to the slightly dazed Second Elder Feng Xiang.

Ling Feng fell silent, then her eyes suddenly grew red as she looked at Chen Feng. "I must return with the Elders!"

"Return?" Chen Feng paused. "Aren't you coming with me to find the Purple Qiong Vine Fruit?"

Ling Feng glanced at Feng Xiang, then shook her head with a sigh. "I must return to the Phoenix Domain. The mission my Clan gave me was set for completion in half a year; it's now been over ten months. I will likely face punishment when I get back."

Hearing Ling Feng announce her departure, Chen Feng felt an inexplicable pang of sadness and lingering reluctance. Only now did he realize how deeply he had grown attached to this serene girl during their time together.

"When can I see you again?" Chen Feng couldn't help but ask.

Ling Feng hesitated for a moment. "I don't know... Let fate decide." With that, she said no more.

Fate? What did 'fate' mean? Was the connection they shared meaningless? Chen Feng felt a surge of bitterness but ultimately kept the question unspoken.

"Then... let's go," Chen Feng managed, turning his face away. "Great Elder, let Feng Xiang and Le'ao go directly; there's no need to punish them!"

He said no more, standing rigid, his tall frame straight as a spear planted firmly in the wind.

Note: The front double biceps is one of the seven standard bodybuilding poses. The seven poses are: front double biceps, front lat spread, most muscular, rear double biceps, rear lat spread, side triceps, and abdominals and thighs.

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