Chapter 16: Concealing Breath Technique

Hearing this, the crowd immediately looked over and saw that Zhao Letian's name was indeed in the last place. No matter how fiercely the rankings above him changed, his name remained immovable, firmly occupying the lowest position on the Cultivation Ranking Stele.

"How can this be? Even if Zhao Letian is inferior, he shouldn't be at the very bottom, right?"

"Is it possible that he hasn't released his cultivation aura, actively forfeiting this assessment?"

"That's likely. His current cultivation is no longer what it used to be. Even if he participates in the assessment, he wouldn't achieve any notable ranking. It's better to give up proactively and save himself from ridicule."

The crowd began discussing among themselves.

At the same time, Zhao Lingshan and others also quickly found Zhao Letian's ranking, all showing expressions of great surprise. Although they all wanted to replace Zhao Letian's position, they did not expect him to give up actively. He wasn't even contesting with them, which made them feel that their victory was too easy, lacking any sense of achievement.

"Hmph! Pretending to be mysterious, with his meager cultivation, we can see through him in an instant. Can he hide it?" Zhao Liehu on the podium thought that Zhao Letian was deliberately concealing his cultivation to avoid exposing his strength early. He scoffed disdainfully and turned his attention to Zhao Letian in the crowd below, ready to see what Zhao Letian's cultivation was really like.

"What? How can this be?"

However, Zhao Liehu was quickly rendered speechless by shock. He discovered that he was unable to see through Zhao Letian's cultivation.

One must know that Zhao Liehu's cultivation was in the True Martial Realm, an entire major realm higher than Zhao Letian. Logically, he should be able to easily see through Zhao Letian's cultivation with just a glance. But, unexpectedly, looking at Zhao Letian now, it seemed as if there was an invisible mist shrouding him, rendering Zhao Liehu completely unable to discern Zhao Letian's true state.

Simultaneously, Grand Uncle Sun, Fourth Uncle Liu, along with Zhao Jianping and Zhao Wuji, also focused their gazes on Zhao Letian. They hadn't paid attention before, but now, looking carefully, they found that all these True Martial Realm experts were unable to see through Zhao Letian's cultivation.

"What a masterful Concealment Technique. When did Tian'er manage to learn such a profound technique? Could it be at Galaxy Sect? But even if Galaxy Sect possesses such a sophisticated technique, given Tian'er's status there, he probably wouldn't have had access to it, right?" Wonder and delight appeared in Zhao Yixin's beautiful eyes. Among the entire Martial Arts Arena, her knowledge and experience could be said to be second to none. Although she also couldn't see through her son's current cultivation, she knew her precious son must be using some extremely skillful Concealment Technique to hide his cultivation aura, making it impossible for others to easily see through it.

"This child is unfathomable and probably harboring some secret. If we allow him to grow, he may one day recover his cultivation, perhaps even reaching a higher realm than us. Keeping him will become a disaster sooner or later. If possible, it would be best to nip this in the bud!"

After their initial shock, Zhao Liehu, Grand Uncle Sun, Fourth Uncle Liu, and others exchanged solemn looks, all harboring similar thoughts.

As for Zhao Wuji and the Zhao Family's Second Grand Uncle Zhao Jianping, although they appeared calmer, their glances towards Zhao Letian also carried a different expression. They had no grudges with Zhao Letian, but if Zhao Letian truly grew stronger, wouldn't the future of Zhao Mansion belong to Zhao Letian and his mother? How could the two brothers stand their ground then?

Meanwhile, Zhao Letian amidst the crowd was unaware that his deliberate concealment of his cultivation had attracted such deadly intentions. However, even if he knew, he would probably still do the same.

Because he was very clear that, although he had successfully broken through to the Primordial Martial Seventh Realm with the help of a Mid-Grade Essence Stone after a night of arduous cultivation, this level of cultivation was probably not enough for him to break into the top ten of the cultivation ranking stele. This meant he would not receive any reward. Since there were no benefits, he didn't bother to waste his energy and thought it was better to save his strength and prepare for the second assessment.

As for the hostility of people like Sun Er-ye towards him, it wouldn't change whether he showed his cultivation level or not. If they came to seek revenge, he couldn't stop them; what was destined to come would always come. If it was someone of his generation seeking revenge, he would not hesitate to accept all comers without question. However, if those True Martial Realm experts discarded the dignity and face of a Martial Artist and attacked someone of a younger generation like him, then his mother Zhao Yixin would definitely not stand by and watch; he needn't worry about anything.

"Judging from their reactions, they probably haven't seen through my cultivation. The Concealing Breath Technique I found in the hereditary memories has indeed not disappointed me." The reactions of the crowd all fell into Zhao Letian's eyes, and he was quite satisfied.

Speaking of which, the reason he almost arrived late today was that just before he left, he suddenly thought of whether he could find a Cultivation Technique or secret technique within the Dragon Clan's hereditary memory that could conceal the aura of his own cultivation. If so, he might be able to surprise everyone during the assessment. Indeed, he easily found a set of Concealing Breath Techniques in the vast hereditary memory of the Dragon Clan and spent several hours mastering it completely. Although it was a very common low-level technique in the hereditary memory, it was enough to fool the True Martial Realm experts present.

"That's enough! Everyone stop; the cultivation assessment ends here!"

Just then, the presiding Elder suddenly said loudly.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!…"

As the Elder's voice fell, the young participants in the assessment simultaneously concealed their auras and looked ahead at the Martial Realm ranking stele with varying expressions—some happy, some sad.

At this moment, the rankings on the black stele had completely settled down. Most people's rankings were not much different from what they had estimated, but there were also those whose rankings were much higher than expected by everyone, and some whose rankings were much lower than expected. For instance, Zhao Letian—until the end of the test, his ranking hadn't moved, securing him the very last place.

As for the first place in this assessment, it was Elder Zhao's eldest son, Zhao Shijie, with a cultivation of Primordial Martial Ninth Realm minor accomplishment, seventeen years old.

The second place, Zhao Lingshan, with a cultivation of early Primordial Martial Ninth Realm, sixteen years old.

The third place, Zhao Kang's brother Zhao Hongyu, with a cultivation of early Primordial Martial Ninth Realm, seventeen years old.

Although Zhao Hongyu's cultivation was the same as Zhao Lingshan's, he was a year older, so he ranked behind Zhao Lingshan.

"Hmph! A cultivation ranking does not represent the real strength ranking. In the next assessment, I will let all of you understand that the number one person in the Zhao Family now is me, Zhao Hongyu!" Zhao Hongyu wasn't able to secure the first place in terms of cultivation rank, which soured his mood. Looking at Zhao Shijie and Zhao Lingshan, his eyes revealed a strong fighting spirit.

As for Zhao Letian, at this time, he had already been forgotten by Zhao Hongyu. A good-for-nothing who wouldn't even dare to reveal his cultivation—wouldn't he just be plaything at his mercy later?

"Yes, cultivation doesn't represent strength. Later on, I will let you understand that some gaps are insurmountable for you," Zhao Letian said calmly with his hands clasped behind his back, looking at the Martial Realm ranking stele ahead of him, with a composed and serene smile on his lips, he secretly thought to himself.