"Shameless old man!"
Chu Fan's fury condensed into four words.
Could Cui Fu's recovery, and the specifics of it, escape the keen eyes of the Demon God?
It was illogical for him not to act upon arriving at their territory.
Secondly, Chu Fan knew that Cui Fu had likely visited this place many times over the years, attempting to break the formations and enter the forbidden grounds.
Therefore, he must have been very familiar with the formations surrounding the forbidden grounds.
"Kid, it's not that I don't want to act, but I'm giving you an opportunity!"
"You must understand that the formations here were set by the Founding Ancestor of the Fa Sect!"
"Legend has it that at his peak, the Founding Ancestor could trap an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster with formations alone."
"This shows how profound his formations were!"
"Allowing you to break them is primarily to give you a learning opportunity. After all, once these formations are broken, they will vanish forever. If you wish to learn later, such a good chance will not present itself again!"
The reasoning held some truth.
Chu Fan didn't argue with Cui Fu about his unwillingness to help. He turned his attention to the formation before him.
Formations, unless triggered by special means, were invisible to the eye.
When Chu Fan cast two hand seals, the formation before him revealed itself, like a net blocking the entrance to the cave, its network constantly shifting.
Upon closer inspection, it was apparent that there was more than one layer of formation. Several more layers were faintly discernible behind the first, though not yet fully revealed.
Taking a deep breath, Chu Fan began to act, continuously gathering strength in his hands and channeling it onto the network before him.
Time passed slowly.
"Pop…"
After about two hours, a soft sound, like a bubble bursting, emanated from the formation before Chu Fan.
The first layer of the formation dissipated rapidly, like mist. Immediately, the second layer, with its more complex interweaving patterns and flashing symbols, became visible.
Cui Fu, seated behind him, nodded slightly with a look of satisfaction.
He found that Chu Fan's talent in formations was indeed extraordinary, possibly rivaling that of the Founding Ancestor.
Before Chu Fan began, Cui Fu had secretly calculated how long it would take him to break through the simplest, first layer of the formation.
His estimation was around five hours.
The basis for this deduction was that even for himself, who was familiar with the place, it would take about three hours to break the first layer.
Chu Fan had only been exposed to formations for half a month, and to break through the first layer in five hours would already indicate considerable talent.
In reality, it only took him two hours.
Despite his calm demeanor, a flicker of anticipation surged in the depths of Cui Fu's eyes.
He knew that with Chu Fan's talent, combined with his powerful strength and Cui Fu's assistance, they would definitely be able to break through the formations of the forbidden grounds this time.
Five hours later, the second layer of the formation was broken.
Another seven hours passed, and the third layer was subsequently broken.
Seeing that there were still formations behind, Chu Fan paused to rest and asked Cui Fu, "Old sir, how many layers are there in total for the formations of this forbidden ground?"
"Nine layers!"
Three layers out of nine were broken, leaving six remaining.
The revolution was not yet successful; continuous effort was still needed!
Chu Fan nodded, took two deep breaths, and refocused his attention on the formation before him.
Cui Fu, having rested sufficiently, stood up and walked to Chu Fan's side, observing from up close. He showed no intention of intervening.
It wasn't that he didn't want to intervene, but rather that he felt the current difficulty level was not yet high enough for him, an experienced practitioner, to step in.
"By the way, what is your actual strength level, Grandmaster, what rank?"
Cui Fu suddenly asked.
This was a question he had wanted to ask for a long time, but due to the sensitive and private nature of the matter, he had hesitated.
From the time Chu Fan started until now, over ten hours had passed without a single break, and his demeanor showed no signs of fatigue. This made Cui Fu's curiosity about Chu Fan's exact strength difficult to suppress.
Moreover, he had personally witnessed Chu Fan clash with Judge previously. The Judge, a Second-Rank Grandmaster, was directly sent flying like a normal person hit by a vehicle.
He found it difficult to gauge Chu Fan's exact standing.
Fifth Rank?
Sixth Rank?
Chu Fan turned his head, smiling, and asked back, "Guess!"
Even as he spoke, his hands did not pause.
"Sixth Rank?"
Cui Fu ventured, believing that Chu Fan's strength was likely at the Sixth Rank.
Chu Fan shook his head, "Incorrect!"
"Then it must be Fifth Rank!"
At such a young age, Fifth Rank seemed sufficient in Cui Fu's opinion.
Chu Fan shook his head again, and two words escaped his lips: "Too low!"
Fifth Rank was too low, and Sixth Rank wasn't it either?
Cui Fu's expression became unsettled, and his voice trembled as he asked, "Could it be Seventh Rank?"
Grandmasters were typically the leaders of a faction.
And the strength of most of these leaders was around First or Second Rank.
A Sixth-Rank Grandmaster was fully capable of becoming the leader of a major power.
Upon learning that Chu Fan's strength was even higher than Sixth Rank, Cui Fu found it difficult to remain calm.
Chu Fan chuckled, "Guess again!"
Seventh Rank and still guessing?
Cui Fu's eyes widened, and his lips trembled as he asked, "Eighth Rank?"
An Eighth-Rank Grandmaster, in this era of declining spiritual energy, was rumored to exist only in reclusive families and among the top figures of the Six Great Sects. They were definitely ancestor-level individuals who would not appear unless absolutely necessary.
"Close enough!"
Upon receiving this response, Cui Fu could only shake his head in resignation.
At this moment, he finally believed that geniuses truly existed in this world.
An Eighth-Rank Grandmaster in his early twenties. If this news were to spread, it would undoubtedly cause a massive sensation.
Due to the angle from which he was observing, Cui Fu, still in shock, did not notice the smile playing on Chu Fan's lips.
His true strength was actually even higher than Cui Fu had guessed.
The reason he said "close enough" at Eighth Rank was because Chu Fan understood how difficult the path of martial arts was in this era of declining spiritual energy.
As for the old man, his capacity for acceptance was limited.
If he were too shocked, he might not be able to handle it.
About five minutes later, Cui Fu gradually recovered his composure.
He mumbled, "With your strength, you could completely establish a faction that could contend with the Five Great Reclusive Families and the Six Great Sects!"
The strength of a sect or family depended primarily on the power of its strongest members.
The strength of the remaining personnel played a less decisive role.
Cui Fu believed that with Chu Fan being an Eighth-Rank Grandmaster at such a young age, if he were to establish his own faction now, within ten to twenty years, he could absolutely surpass the Six Great Reclusive Families and the Six Great Sects.
At that time, given his relationship with Chu Fan, becoming an elder by his side would be quite glorious.
"It will happen, no need to rush now!"
Within the territory of the Dragon God Kingdom, Chu Fan had indeed considered establishing his own faction.
The Mountain Sea Hall in Mountain Sea City was the starting point.
The expansion of the Cloud Mountain Sect was also a starting point.
One would develop in the secular world, the other in the mountains, and eventually, they would expand in sync, becoming number one both on and off the mountains, in the Dragon God Kingdom.
However, Chu Fan was not in a hurry for this matter.
Until his own crisis was resolved, he could not truly claim to be the first.
There was no rush for anything.