After three rounds of drinks, everyone loosened up and started talking.
Xu Ruhai, who had never been particularly close to Qiao Tai, even began teasing him across the table.
"Steward Qiao, you really are something..."
"What did I do?"
"Oh, you know exactly what. All this time, the Outer Sect Disciples have been saying that Li Yuanba and I are geniuses, miles ahead of the rest."
"I heard so much praise that I started believing it. I really thought I was the best in the Outer Sect."
"Who would've guessed the real prodigy was hiding in Steward Qiao's old residence!"
"Tell me, isn't that setting us up?"
Qiao Tai was torn between laughing and protesting. "How am I setting you up? Explain yourself. If you can't, you have to chug a whole bottle right now!"
"Why should I be the one drinking a penalty? You absolutely set us up."
"If you'd let Brother Fenghua show what he could do sooner, tsk, tsk. With thousands of Outer Sect Disciples in a sect as vast as the Yellow Martial Sect, who would dare call himself a genius?"
"Who would dare be so full of himself?!"
"I..."
Qiao Tai had no answer. He even felt a little guilty.
"Brother Fenghua isn't just at the Body Tempering Tenth Level. Several of his Martial Arts have reached the Courtyard Gate Realm. What's even scarier is his comprehension. He brought a Two-Star Upper-Grade Martial Art to the Perfection Realm just like that. Even Brother Tree's [Big Tree Stump], which no one else had ever practiced, gave him no trouble."
"He picked it up and brought it straight to the Perfection Realm. He even broke its limits."
"And the best part? He turned around and instructed Brother Tree, bringing Brother Tree's [Big Tree Stump] straight to the