Class A Rating, Yi Yunya's Regret

By common sense, Third-grade Spiritual Roots had low affinity with Spiritual Energy, making it difficult to open the Qi Sea Acupoint and become a Qi Practitioner within seven days.

Bound by this common knowledge, Mo Shuying felt that Zhong Ming did not stand much of a chance.

Yet when she turned to look at Zhong Ming, she found that he did not share the disappointment and dejection of the others. Instead, his face was filled with excitement and joy.

That expression, along with Zhong Ming's previous performance and Xue Yao's recognition of him, made Mo Shuying unable to help but think further.

"Could it be..."

Just as she found the thought arising in her heart unbelievable, Zhong Ming noticed his Senior Disciple Sister's gaze.

Seeing this, Zhong Ming stopped sensing the changes within himself and rose to walk toward Mo Shuying.

"Rustle..."

His movement caused everyone to turn and look over.

Born into a poor family and possessing a Third-grade Spiritual Root, yet confidently certain of receiving a Class B rating—Zhong Ming had already drawn plenty of attention.

Two days earlier, Xue Yao's declaration that he was the strongest had pushed Zhong Ming right into the eye of the storm.

Thus, an especially large number of people were watching him.

Earlier, someone had already noticed Zhong Ming's expression.

While all the disciples with Second-Class Spiritual Roots were gloomy and dispirited, Zhong Ming's relaxed expression stood out all the more.

Discussion had begun then.

"Something is off about Zhong Ming's mood... Could he have opened his Qi Sea Acupoint?"

"Impossible, isn't he a Third-grade Spiritual Root?"

"Could he just be happy because no one else broke through?"

"...I don't think Zhong Ming is that kind of person."

At the time, the ordinary disciples of Dragon Stream Peak were still uncertain whether Zhong Ming had broken through, and they began arguing over it.

But when he stood up and walked toward Mo Shuying, aside from a few particularly stubborn fools who firmly believed Spiritual Roots were everything,

everyone else had already begun to lean toward an answer.

This made everyone look in Zhong Ming's direction, watching as he walked step by step toward Mo Shuying.

So intently did they watch that their breathing unconsciously slowed.

"..."

Thus, amid everyone's silence and watchful gazes, Zhong Ming arrived before Mo Shuying.

Then, having regained his calm state of mind, he quietly spoke.

"Senior Disciple Sister, I broke through."

"..."

Zhong Ming's voice was not loud, but everyone was watching him and listening closely to his words.

Thus, once Zhong Ming spoke those words, everyone on Dragon Stream Peak heard them.

A string of sharp intakes of breath immediately rang out across Dragon Stream Peak.

"He... he really broke through."

"How did he do it?"

"So Zhong Ming isn't a pretty boy after all. We were the ones who were wrong."

"He has a Third-grade Spiritual Root..."

"..."

At this moment, everyone looked at Zhong Ming in disbelief.

Even Mo Shuying was the same. "You broke through? How did you..."

Before voicing the doubts in her heart, she stopped herself.

As a righteous and prestigious sect, let alone the chief disciples of each peak, even the peak masters would not casually pry into their disciples' secrets.

Thus, Mo Shuying did not ask the question in her heart. That was Zhong Ming's secret.

Still unable to believe it, she took out a precious mirror and aimed it at Zhong Ming.

It was a mirror used to examine Zhong Ming's condition. It could reveal his cultivation level and whether he had damaged his foundation.

Since this was a necessary step in receiving a Class A rating, Zhong Ming did not stop her.

There were no surprises in the result.

"Qi Sea Acupoint newly opened. Foundation undamaged. There is little pill poison in his body as well. Qualified."

After seeing Zhong Ming's condition clearly, although she harbored countless doubts, Mo Shuying still suppressed them.

Then, she gave Zhong Ming a gentle smile and said warmly,

"Congratulations. From now on, you are our Junior Disciple Brother."

After saying this, she looked toward Xue Yao. "This time, I misjudged... I never expected that my judgment, as Senior Disciple Sister, would now be inferior to yours. Congratulations as well on choosing such a good teammate."

Unlike Mo Shuying's complicated expression, Xue Yao remained calm in the face of Zhong Ming's advancement, showing little joy.

It was not because she did not care about Zhong Ming. Rather, in her heart, Zhong Ming was stronger than she was. For someone like him, opening the Qi Sea Acupoint within seven days was perfectly ordinary.

She would have been astonished if he had failed to open it.

Because she felt everything before her was entirely reasonable, she merely nodded calmly at Mo Shuying's words. "Senior Brother is naturally the best."

Xue Yao calmly accepted Zhong Ming's advancement and Class A rating, but there was one person at the scene who simply could not accept it.

That person was naturally Yi Yunya. Zhong Ming's advancement made it impossible for her to maintain the expression on her face any longer.

"Zhong Ming... he really advanced successfully!"

Overwhelmed by disbelief and regret, she gripped her beloved folding fan until it creaked.

It was no wonder she reacted this way. Zhong Ming's advancement had an enormous impact on the situation among Dragon Stream Peak's younger generation.

Originally, the three First-grade Spiritual Roots of Dragon Stream Peak were in a state where none could suppress the others.

They answered to no one, and the three were competing with one another for the right to lead.

But Zhong Ming's advancement, along with his team-up with Xue Yao, shattered this situation.

What made Yi Yunya even more troubled and regretful was that the first person to discover Zhong Ming's talent and invite him... had been her.

"If I had insisted back then, Zhong Ming would have been my subordin... Zhong Ming would have allied with me."

"Xue Yao is aloof by nature, while Zhuang Yi is arrogant. The two of them could never possibly join forces. So after allying with Zhong Ming, Dragon Stream Peak would have been mine alone. At that point, becoming Dragon Stream Peak's Senior Disciple Sister would have been as easy as turning over my hand."

"With the title of Dragon Stream Peak's Senior Disciple Sister, along with Zhong Ming's help, my position in Golden Jade Tower would have been completely secure."

After thinking it through, Yi Yunya realized that if she had trusted Zhong Ming back then, her entire game of chess would now have come alive.

The things she had schemed and plotted for in every possible way would have fallen into her hands with ease.

Unfortunately, there were no ifs. She had hesitated back then, and in the end, the one who allied with Zhong Ming was Xue Yao.

As one side rose, the other fell. Their alliance reduced Yi Yunya's hopes of becoming the leader of Dragon Stream Peak's new generation to nearly zero, sending her state of mind close to collapse.

People found it difficult to accept loss.

If there had never been hope, there would be no despair.

But when hope was offered, only to be missed due to hesitation and misunderstanding, it became something impossible to let go.

At this moment, the regret filling Yi Yunya's heart was like venomous snakes, ceaselessly gnawing at her innermost heart.

"I was clearly there first."

"I was the first to discover Zhong Ming's talent, and the first to invite him. Why did things turn out like this..."

Youlan sensed Yi Yunya's gloomy expression. She did not know how to comfort her young mistress.

This loss truly was too great.

Because the situation was indeed somewhat miserable, even Mo Shuying, who had never liked her much, cast her a pitying glance.

But she only looked once.

Soon, she turned her gaze back to Zhong Ming.

No matter what, Zhong Ming's breakthrough was a good thing for Dragon Stream Peak. Thus, Mo Shuying had already recovered her composure and was in quite a good mood.

Now, she was preparing to tell Zhong Ming of the benefits granted by attaining Class A.

"Congratulations, Junior Brother Zhong. Having received a Class A rating, you can already be considered a prospective core member of Dragon Stream Peak, and you will receive a great deal of resource support from Dragon Stream Peak."

"From now on, the cultivation methods, techniques, and cultivation insights left by predecessors on the first three floors of the Dragon Creek Peak Scripture Repository will all be open to you, free of charge."

"But I do not recommend learning too many spells. You should understand the principle that biting off more than you can chew will leave you unable to digest it."

"Besides that, Dragon Stream Peak will also forge a Dharma artifact exclusively for you..."