The restraints of Kassim's power broken, the golden-striped goldfish plummeted from the air, and Chen Zhao caught it in his hand.

Silence descended upon the surroundings; no one dared to utter a word above a whisper. From the moment Kassim activated the golden-striped goldfish to being flung backward, less than five breaths had passed, yet the outcome was utterly unforeseen.

Everyone stared, wide-eyed, at the youth standing on the platform, disbelief etched onto their faces. How could he have been struck head-on by the goldfish's quills and remain completely unharmed? What in the world had just happened?

The Great Elder was frozen in place, muttering under his breath, "Lord Dragon God..."

"Dragon Domain Chen Feng... Victor!" The referee finally snapped back to reality, shouting the words with a noticeable stammer, cold sweat beading on his forehead. Truthfully, he hadn't even seen how Chen Feng had launched his counterattack.

Chen Feng squeezed the golden-striped goldfish in his hand, letting a single drop of blood well up at his fingertip and fall onto the artifact.

From the force of those quills and the reactions of the crowd, he naturally understood the preciousness of the item. Recalling the battle between Long Yi and Hu Ben just moments before, he instantly grasped the situation: if Kassim’s cultivation hadn't been too low to successfully activate this divine artifact, and if he hadn't possessed a divine-grade physical body impervious to such attacks, he would surely be dead now.

Since a divine artifact required a drop of blood for recognition, Chen Feng made no ceremony of it. Using his spiritual power, he gathered all one thousand three hundred and fifty-four quills scattered on the ground, then strode off the competition platform.

"Lord Dragon God, just now..." Long Yi hurried to meet him.

Chen Feng leaned in and whispered, "Later, I'll spread news that this golden-striped goldfish is a fake!"

Long Yi, worldly-wise, immediately understood Chen Feng's objective. The Tiger Domain had intended to use Kassim to harm the Lord Dragon God, but the plan had backfired, resulting in the loss of a divine artifact. They would certainly find excuses later to demand it back. By claiming it was fake now, he could legitimately keep the treasure for himself later!

Besides, if one thousand three hundred and fifty-four quills had pierced Chen Feng's body, how could the artifact's power possibly be so weak? Therefore, claiming it was fake actually made the situation seem more believable...

Sometimes, calling something false is the surest way to make people believe the truth.

Having grasped this, Long Yi quickly nodded, "Understood, Lord Dragon God!"

.......................................................

Watching Chen Feng stand among the Dragon Domain crowd, a venomous glint shot from Hu Ben’s eyes.

"Second Elder, that divine artifact of the clan—shouldn't we seize it back?"

A middle-aged man behind him showed clear anxiety upon seeing Chen Feng take the golden-striped goldfish.

"Seize it now? If we make a move, the Sovereign will surely intervene. Not only would we fail to retrieve it, but we would also alert them and give them time to prepare!" Hu Ben growled viciously.

"Then what do we do? Lord Tiger God specifically offered three divine artifacts for this competition; if we lose one, I fear..."

"Stop the nonsense and do as I say!" Hu Ben retorted, his face contorted with malice. He said coldly, "I refuse to believe Long Yi can shadow this kid forever. He's barely nineteen; how high can his cultivation possibly be? When he's alone, I will not only snatch back the golden-striped goldfish but kill him with my own hands!"

Hu Ben continued, "Under no circumstances should anyone mention today’s events, or I will kill you!"

Having failed in his scheme, Hu Ben, as an elder of the Black Tiger Clan, prioritized saving face and did not wish for this news to spread.

The middle-aged man trembled with fear at the threat, "I absolutely will not speak a word!"

"Good. Tonight, stay put quietly. I will find an opportunity to reclaim the golden-striped goldfish!" Hu Ben commanded.

"Yes!" The middle-aged man quickly lowered his head.

.......................................................

"Hmm, not bad. You cultivated the divine-grade physical body so quickly. It seems Yan Long didn't misjudge you!" Just as Chen Feng was about to ask the Great Elder some questions, a faint voice reached his ear.

He looked around, but Long Yi and the others seemed completely composed, as if they hadn't heard anything. Chen Feng turned toward the source of the voice: the Fist Sovereign, who had acted earlier and seemed unfathomable!

The Fist Sovereign looked to be around forty, slightly lean, with hair as black as ink and pale yellow skin—perfectly resembling a person from China in a previous life.

Seeing Chen Feng looking over, he gave a slight nod and continued to transmit his voice, "Do not approach me now. This competition is being hosted by me, and it's inconvenient to meet you directly, lest I be accused of unfairness. Come to my residence tonight; I have matters to discuss with you!"

Without waiting for Chen Feng's assent, he turned and walked away, his silhouette flickering before vanishing from the spot.

"Fist Sovereign? Does this have anything to do with the Fist techniques I've studied?" Chen Feng wasn't sure why this Fist Sovereign wanted to see him, but since he mentioned the senior Yan Long, he must know many secrets. He let out a soft breath, gazing in the direction the man disappeared, thinking calmly, Tonight, perhaps I will find out!

After a moment of thought, he casually turned to Long Yi and asked, "Do you know where the Fist Sovereign resides?"

"The Fist Sovereign?" Long Yi looked around, unable to see the man anymore, and replied, "He lives on that Connected Peaks range over there!"

The location chosen for the Five Elements Grand Tournament was... The island was covered in verdant peaks and blessed with a pleasant climate—a place rich in spiritual energy. The Sovereign’s residence was situated on a relatively flat mountaintop, surrounded by dozens of other peaks like guardians, giving it an imposing aura.

Following the direction Long Yi pointed, it was the tallest among the dozen surrounding peaks. From afar, he could see a massive palace-like structure at the summit, which he presumed was the Fist Sovereign’s abode.

Most participants in the Five Elements Tournament lodged on the other peaks. Since everyone there could fly, distance was rarely an issue.

Just then, Xiao Hu and Ling Feng flew in from the sky.

Chen Feng had received word upon entering the island that his match was scheduled early, so he had hurried ahead. Xiao Hu and Ling Feng, unable to match his speed, were only arriving now.

Ling Feng was also participating, but Feng Xiang had drawn her the very last match, so she wasn't in a rush.

"Lord Phoenix God!" Feng Xiang and Feng You had already spotted Ling Feng and stepped forward to greet her.

Ling Feng looked at Chen Feng, offering a slightly apologetic murmur, "I went to the Phoenix Clan!" Seeing the other nod, she walked toward Feng You and Feng Xiang.

Xiao Hu rushed over, his face breaking into a cheerful grin upon seeing several elders of the Dragon Domain gathered. Like a naughty child meeting his elders, he launched into conversation, unable to stop talking once he started.

Seeing Xiao Hu's demeanor, Chen Feng smiled and shook his head, turning to ask Long Yi.

"How is the Dragon Domain now? Did Jin Xuan Hu attack?"

"Jin Xuan has not been to the Dragon Domain. I heard he is still severely injured!" Long Yi reported.

It was because he couldn't neutralize the damage left by Yan Long that Jin Xuan Hu had desperately hunted Chen Feng. It seemed he still hadn't recovered. Since Jin Xuan Hu was injured, hiding in the Dragon Domain was the safest course; there was no need to worry.

The Dragon Domain was, after all, his base, established by Yan Long himself. If Jin Xuan Hu managed to destroy it, that would be catastrophic. Chen Feng had worried about this constantly while in the Realm of Nature; hearing that everything was fine now eased his mind.

The competitions on the main platform continued, quickly moving to the seventh group.

Because the Profound Heaven Illustrated Tome was involved, the number of participants this year was more than double the usual—all rising talents. (For those who have cultivated long-term, anyone under 60 is considered a young talent or rising star; since cultivation below the Saint Domain still leads to aging, some participants were men in their fifties...) The competition required five rounds of assessment, and this match was merely the preliminary round; otherwise, with too many people, determining the true masters would take an age!

The Five Elements Grand Tournament assessed a person’s battle prowess, attack, speed, strength, and endurance—all five aspects. Only by securing first place in every category could one qualify for the championship, making the requirements exceptionally stringent.

Today's matches would eliminate half the participants. Those who advanced would then proceed to the single-category assessments.

Chen Feng felt he wasn't participating for the mere slot but to meet the Fist Sovereign and discover who he truly was. He had met him now, and the man had invited him over tonight; thinking it over, there was little need to continue competing. However, before he could fully decide, someone walked up to him.

It was Prince Qilin, Leidi.

"Oh, isn't this my slave?" he said with a smirk.

Chen Feng had made a wager with him previously: the loser would serve the winner for five years. Leidi had been utterly crushed by Chen Feng's Cosmic Illusion, and two years of the five-year servitude had already passed, so Chen Feng calling him a slave was still accurate.

Hearing the word "slave," Leidi's face flushed an alarming shade of red as he clenched his fists: "I want to challenge you to another bet. Do you dare?"

"What kind of bet?"

"The same as last time—defense only! If you lose, you serve me for five years. If I lose, I serve you for ten years! Adding to the previous wager, I'll owe you thirteen years of servitude. What say you? Do you dare agree!" Leidi declared.

Leidi had successfully activated his Qilin bloodline, increasing his defensive power one hundredfold over before, making him supremely confident in avenging his previous humiliation.

Chen Feng nearly burst out laughing. Betting on defense? Last time he had cheated by using the "Divine Mansion of Light." Even without the "Divine Mansion of Light" now, possessing a divine-grade physique meant he feared no attack!

Even if the Qilin Clan had strong defenses, challenging his current state would be difficult for Leidi. Wasn't this inviting trouble?

Seeing Chen Feng remain silent for so long, Leidi assumed he was scared and sneered, "I never thought the mighty Lord Dragon God, Yan Long's successor, would be such a coward, unwilling to even accept this wager!"

His voice was loud, immediately drawing the attention of the crowd surrounding them.

ps: Was about to start typing when I saw the reader [Dead Imot] tipped 10,000 star coins... I’m deeply moved. As I always say, no one is a big shot; every penny is hard-earned. To be able to directly tip 1 Yuan, Old Ya truly thanks you all! It is you who give me the motivation to keep persisting!! I will erupt again the day after tomorrow, dedicated to reader [Dead Imot]! (To be continued. To know what happens next, please log in to www**com. More chapters, support the author, support genuine reading!)