Hao Peng was leading the way and was followed by the geniuses of the competition. But as before, nobody could see where they were going…
"That place is gigantic." thought Lin Feng. They had been flying for such a long time but still hadn't arrived… How big was that place… There was still an endless sky all around them.
Lin Feng didn't understand precisely who the Shen Gong people were or how strong they were.
Suddenly Lin Feng was in a new place. In front of him was a passageway that was about twenty meters wide. There was a gigantic and magnificent gate at the entrance and "Shen Gong North" was written above it.
"There are four districts here: Shen Gong North, Shen Gong South, Shen Gong East and Shen Gong West. Shen Gong North is one of the most prestigious districts. so much so that protectors like Xue Wu Chang cannot come here." explained Hao Peng before entering the passageway.
Lin Feng and the others continued to be surprised but followed him into Shen Gong North. After the passageway they arrived in a new area that reminded them of the outside However, palaces were a bit smaller and there were cultivation fields. This seemed like a place was for residents… There were all sorts of skills, bicycles, sword skills, etc. Everybody could see that. (editor's note: I have no idea why it says bicycles there, lol!)
"When will we arrive!?" asked Di Ling, he was starting to get upset. They had been there for a while already.
"Immediately." said Hao Peng. "Shen Gong is like heaven, you've never seen such a place before. Your eyes can now open… It's an incredible place which will enable you to understand the world even better. It's a place for strong cultivators, it's a place where you realize how tiny you are. Don't think that you are real geniuses because you are a little strong in Xue Yu. Actually, you are worthless. I have seen authentic geniuses in my life and I don't consider any of you as one."
"What?" They were astonished when they heard him, he had actually made them quite upset. Hao Peng was making fun of them and insulting them.
"How strong are you in Shen Gong then?" asked Di Ling mockingly.
"I am one of the top geniuses, I belong to the Shen Gong North." said Hao Peng.
"You are from Shen Gong where the Qi of the earth and the sky is extremely dense. Considering those facts, you are actually a weakling." said Di Ling. Hao Peng was stupefied, he turned his head and saw Di Ling's cold smile.
"You don't know the immensity of heaven and earth." said Hao Peng indifferently. Finally, they arrived in front of a gigantic palace. In front of the palace were several silhouettes. It seemed like those people were waiting for them.
As expected, Hao Peng jumped and landed on the roof of the palace. He looked at one person respectfully and said, "Your Highness, I brought them."
"You worked hard." said the middle-aged man indifferently. That person didn't sound or look like an incredible person, he looked like your average Joe. Even his Qi was normal.
That person was the Leader of Shen Gong… What was his cultivation level like?
Everybody wanted to know how strong that person was.
"It is an honor for me to receive so many outstanding geniuses in Shen Gong North. Since you are my guests, we should have a banquet together. After the dinner we will bring you to the next place." said the leader of Shen Gong North. He didn't sound proud at all, he just sounded like a nice person. He was probably easy to get along with, he even looked like he respected them already.
"A banquet…" thought Lin Feng. Shen Gong also prepared banquets… Lin Feng was wondering what that place really was.
Lin Feng was a bit upset because of the incredibly beautiful women on the leader's side. All of them had an extraordinary Qi, they were all extremely strong and had natural abilities. And yet, they were only following them around, Lin Feng didn't feel at ease.
He had the feeling that Shen Gong was an odd place.
What did they want to do? The Great Competition of Xue Yu was managed by Shen Gong, what was their goal?
Was it really to see who the strongest cultivators were?
All of them had never thought about these things until now. But suddenly they were all starting to ask themselves these questions, not only Lin Feng.
A group of women in white clothes brought tables, chairs, food. Everything was put on two sides of the table and the middle was reserved for the respectable people of Shen Gong North.
"Alright. Everybody, let's start." said the Leader of Shen Gong North. Then they looked at everything and their eyes lit up.
"That is… The banquet?" On the tables, apart from alcohol and food, there were specks of grass and pills.
That banquet was luxurious and extravagant, there were grass and pills… And all of them were extraordinary, everybody could sense the pleasant Qi emerging out of them…
"Shen Gong…" sighed Lin Feng. That was how strong and rich this sphere of influence was. Ordinary people couldn't imagine such things. Even cultivators like Lin Feng who had become stronger step by step, who had gone through hardships, had taken risks… And had, step by step, broken through to higher cultivation layers.
Maybe Shen Gong's people, with their wealth, only had to to listen to some teachers and partake in some small battles against their fellow disciples. Learning incredible skills and techniques made them monstrously strong. Sometimes they would go out to practice using some grass and pills, they could destroy extremely strong cultivators with all of that… Those who made great efforts in Shen Gong could become gods…
That was the difference between a place like Shen Gong and a country like Xue Yue. The conditions at birth were different so the future was different.
Of course, Lin Feng wasn't going to undervalue himself. On the path of cultivation, going through hardships and taking risks were wonderful things. If a cultivator who had become godlike by going through hardships and taking risks fought a godlike cultivator who had enjoyed a comfortable life, there would be no suspense. The winner would be obvious.
But Lin Feng didn't deny that it was the case for all of them. Surely, some people from wealthy groups also went through difficult times.
Generally speaking, people from wealthy groups all had better conditions. What was important was the way the elders educated them.
However, those who reached the clouds thanks to their own efforts could be proud of themselves.
In comparison with those Shen Gong people, the geniuses of the Great Competition of Xue Yu didn't have such luxuries. They had to rely on themselves a lot and didn't have access to incredible treasures to improve themselves with on the path of cultivation.
"Please." said the Leader of Shen Gong North when he saw that the crowd was astonished.
The leader of Shen Gong North took the best seat and sat down. Then the many beautiful women sat down around him. And then some extremely strong cultivators came and sat down with them too.
"I wish I could know you better, please introduce yourselves." said the Leader of Shen Gong. He was, as before, extremely polite. He didn't sound arrogant at all.
"Firmament Empire, Di Ling." said Di Ling.
"Firmament blood… Di Ling, not bad." said the Leader of Shen Gong North while nodding.
"Xue Yue, Duan Wu Dao."
"The unruly and ultra-violent crown prince. What you have accomplished is great for such a tiny country as Xue Yue." said the Leader of Shen Gong North, it seemed like he knew everything about them already….
"Black Wings Empire, Xue Sha."
"Magnolia Empire, Ling Xiao."
The Leader of Shen Gong knew all of them… And then Lin Feng introduced himself.
"Xue Yue, Lin Feng." said Lin Feng, but this time the Leader of Shen Gong North looked surprised. He didn't know him, Lin Feng from Xue Yue?
He had never heard of such a genius, who was that?