The sky-shattering pillar of light lasted for a long time, located within a primeval mountain range.
At first glance, the journey seemed quite far. Without any means of transportation, Ye Feng and the others could only proceed on foot.
Just then, Wang Man spoke up, "Brother Ye, how about we have a speed competition? What do you think?"
"A speed competition? Is that necessary!" Ye Feng replied.
Wang Man insisted, "Come on! Since we're cooperating, we should get to know each other's strength beforehand, don't you think!"
Ye Feng nodded upon hearing this, feeling there was some logic to it.
"Alright! How do you want to compete?" Ye Feng asked.
Wang Man chuckled, "We'll just keep accelerating until one can't catch up to the other! Whoever wins will be the elder brother and will be in charge of the entire treasure hunt. What do you say?"
Upon hearing this, Ye Feng immediately understood the other man's little scheme.
He wanted to take the lead during this collaboration!
However, when it came to speed, Ye Feng was not afraid, so he immediately agreed, "Okay!"
Wang Man smiled, "Great, let's begin!"
With that, the two of them sprinted into the distance simultaneously, neither ahead nor behind.
However, Ye Feng could tell that Wang Man wasn't using his full strength.
"This guy, is he testing my strength?" Ye Feng chuckled inwardly and then also increased his speed.
Sensing Ye Feng's acceleration, Wang Man immediately picked up his pace as well.
For a moment, their speeds were neck and neck, weaving through the forest. The air currents they stirred up created a furious gale, causing the leaves and branches of the trees to rustle and sway incessantly.
"Brother Ye is indeed quite capable, but not fast enough!"
Wang Man said this as he seemed to activate some cultivation technique or martial skill, his speed suddenly surging.
Seeing this, Ye Feng smiled slightly and immediately employed the Seven Star Steps.
The Seven Star Steps were the first movement martial skill Ye Feng had cultivated. He had long since perfected it to the point of mastery.
Ye Feng's speed immediately increased, catching up to Wang Man, and even feeling like he was about to surpass him.
This surprised Wang Man, who then further increased his speed by another notch.
Ye Feng was also secretly astonished, realizing his Seven Star Steps couldn't keep up.
"Gale Phantom Steps!"
Helpless, Ye Feng had to unleash the Gale Phantom Steps, a more advanced movement technique than the Seven Star Steps.
Ye Feng's speed surged again, directly overtaking Wang Man. This stunned Wang Man, his eyes widening in disbelief.
"Damn it, it seems I have to go all out!"
Wang Man let out a curse, and then his entire aura erupted, unleashed without reservation.
His speed also reached its peak. With a whoosh, he caught up to Ye Feng and then surpassed him.
Ye Feng was also greatly surprised by this. Wang Man's speed was significantly faster than his, and Ye Feng's Gale Phantom Steps couldn't keep up.
"Haha, Brother Ye, it seems the elder brother title belongs to me!" Wang Man declared with a laugh.
Ye Feng replied with a smile, "Oh? That's not necessarily true!"
As Ye Feng spoke, he twisted his neck, his eyes narrowing, and his gaze instantly became peculiar.
The next second, Ye Feng uttered, "Carefree Steps, a thousand miles in one stride!"
With that, Ye Feng's figure instantly became ethereal, leaving behind an afterimage, transforming into a streak of light that surpassed Wang Man and then vanished from his sight.
"Damn it, this, this... how is this possible?"
Wang Man was dumbfounded. He rubbed his eyes, and his mouth hung open wide, forming an 'o' shape.
By the time he reacted, Ye Feng had long since disappeared ahead of him. He could only chase after him with all his might, wanting to understand what was happening.
A few minutes later, Wang Man, almost exhausted, finally spotted Ye Feng's figure in the distance.
Ye Feng stood with his arms crossed, hovering in mid-air, looking at him with a half-smile, as if he had been waiting for a while.
"According to the rules of our competition, I won, so I'm the elder brother. I'll be in charge of the entire treasure hunt!" Ye Feng said with a laugh.
Wang Man's face fell, "Damn, I knew you were this monstrous, I wouldn't have bet!"
"Haha, you can't blame me for that; you're the one who proposed it! Hurry up and call me 'elder brother'!" Ye Feng roared with laughter.
Wang Man reluctantly uttered, "E-elder brother!"
"Ah, that's good! Such an obedient junior brother!" Ye Feng chuckled.
Wang Man shot Ye Feng a glare, looking dejected.
After that, the two stopped competing and continued towards the direction of the light pillar at a normal pace.
After all, if they continued to compete, their spiritual energy and stamina would be depleted before they even reached their destination. Not only would they be unable to contend for the treasure, but their lives might also be in danger.
Along the way, Wang Man remained in a gloomy state, seemingly unable to comprehend how Ye Feng possessed such speed.
What he didn't know was that the single use of "a thousand miles in one stride" had nearly depleted more than half of Ye Feng's Sea God power.
This showed that Ye Feng had to pay a significant price to achieve such speed.
Of course, Wang Man would never know this, nor would Ye Feng tell him.
Just then, the two suddenly saw a group of people appearing not far away.
Initially, Ye Feng and Wang Man paid them no mind, but suddenly, one person in front caught Ye Feng's attention.
At the same time, those people sensed someone approaching from behind and turned to look.
Ye Feng recognized the attire of the person, and then looked at the somewhat familiar figure and face, immediately recalling who it was.
It was the person who had almost died at Ye Feng's hands last time but was eventually saved by Qing Xuan Sect's Sect Master, Qing Xuanzi. It was Qing Xuan Sect's eldest disciple, Tian Chen!
At this moment, Tian Chen also recognized him, his eyes widening as he exclaimed, "Huh? Are you... Ye Feng?"
Ye Feng made no attempt to hide himself, instead smiling and saying, "Hi, Tian Chen, long time no see! Have your injuries healed?"
After disappearing for quite some time, Tian Chen wasn't entirely sure if it was Ye Feng, but upon hearing this, he became even more certain it was Ye Feng.
The previous incident had caused Tian Chen to lose face within his sect, as he had nearly been killed. Fortunately, his master, Qing Xuanzi, had intervened, saving his life.
Ye Feng, by bringing up this sore point, only fueled Tian Chen's anger further.
"Heh! Kid, what a coincidence that we meet again! I never expected to run into you here today!" Tian Chen said coldly.
The other members of the Qing Xuan Sect heard this and began to inquire, "Eldest Senior Brother, who is this person?"
"Him? He's the one who killed Junior Brother Xing Yu and Junior Brother Liang Qing!" Tian Chen replied.
"What? It's this guy?"
"Damn it, how dare this fellow kill our Qing Xuan Sect disciples!"
"Simply unforgivable. Since we've met today, let's deal with them..."
A group of Qing Xuan Sect disciples spoke up, then quickly surrounded Ye Feng and Wang Man.
"Damn it, Brother Ye, oh no, Elder Brother! What's going on?" Wang Man asked, confused.
Ye Feng replied awkwardly, "Uh, they're my sworn enemies! This has nothing to do with you. If you feel it's too dangerous, you should leave first!"
Ye Feng never expected to encounter people from the Qing Xuan Sect here.
However, Wang Man retorted indignantly, "Damn, what are you saying? You're the elder brother now! How can I abandon you! We'll just fight them if need be!"
While the two were conversing, the Qing Xuan Sect members had already launched their attack on them...