In the end, it was Xing Feng who could no longer stand it and stepped in to pull Ye Chen out of his predicament.
When he landed, Ye Chen's black hair was in complete disarray, his entire body covered in dust and dirt. His once-pristine robes were ruined, smeared with mud and debris, and his face was caked with grass and grime.
At some point, one of his shoes had disappeared, likely blown away by the violent gusts.
Looking at him now, Ye Chen resembled nothing so much as a beggar. There was not a trace of the prodigious aura he had displayed as a King Body prodigy.
Xing Feng, after rescuing him, only glanced at Ye Chen and said nothing.
Any thought of taking the boy as a disciple had completely vanished.
With his experience, it was easy to see why Ye Chen had chosen to resist the shockwave generated by Chu Ge.
Clearly, after falling from the high platform earlier and feeling humiliated, he had desperately tried to prove himself in front of everyone—an utterly irrational decision.
From this single action, Xing Feng could already see countless flaws in Ye Chen's character:
arrogance, narrow-mindedness, and overestimating his own ability.
With such a disposition, even possessing a King Body could not guarantee greatness.
He had once thought Ye Chen was a prodigy worth investing in, a talent to cultivate.
Now, it was clear he was merely a reckless brat with good fortune and exceptional talent, but with no understanding of his own limitations.
"Foolish."
Leaving only that cold word behind, Xing Feng turned and walked away.
Many of the other high-level experts who had gathered had noticed this scene, but paid it little attention.
A King Body was indeed an impressive aptitude, and it might allow its possessor to reach their current heights one day—but it was only a possibility, not a certainty.
Every young cultivator who eventually became a great power had once been a prodigy in their own right.
Each one of them possessed talent that could rival—or even surpass—a King Body.
One King Body alone was not enough to command their attention.
'Damn it!'
Ye Chen ground his teeth, his fists creaking with the force of his grip.
Xing Feng's single word, foolish, echoed in his mind, fueling a blaze of uncontrollable anger in his chest.
"Are you angry? You think he's wrong?"
The neutral voice sounded in his mind.
"I think he's entirely correct. Ye Chen, what gave you the illusion that a mere King Body could contend with a Sacred Body?"
"Look around you. The King Body you relied on, the one you boasted of… has already become a laughingstock. In others' eyes, your actions make you no different from a clown."
"Honestly, I now doubt whether choosing you in the first place was the right decision. Your actions, your thoughts… they are utterly foolish."
Hearing this, Ye Chen's face darkened to an almost unnatural shade of green, his expression so grim it seemed as though water might drip from it.
He spun to look around.
The gazes that had once been filled with envy, jealousy, and admiration toward his King Body were now entirely replaced with ridicule and mockery.
Especially one young man in a deep blue ceremonial robe.
He was now gesturing toward Ye Chen, his lips forming words silently, as if repeating something over and over.
Ye Chen leaned closer, and nearly lost his mind.
Tang Shan was silently mouthing the word "clown"—over and over—directly at him!
Seeing this, Ye Chen felt as if his entire body had been set aflame.
An uncontrollable murderous intent surged in his heart, impossible to suppress.