With Duobao's appearance, the scene fell silent. The many jealous onlookers gradually stopped acting so brazenly.
Perhaps, deep down, they were still somewhat afraid of Daoist Duobao.
After all, he was the chief disciple.
In both status and strength, he was far above them.
Therefore,
no one dared say much.
Of course, even so, many people were still whispering among themselves.
Looking at Lin Chuan, who had remained motionless for a long time,
they sneered coldly, and all sorts of comments rang out, though they were not as brazen as before.
"He said he could break through whenever he wanted, but quite a while has passed, and there's still not the slightest sign of anything..."
"He even said a Grand Unity Golden Immortal was nothing special. Hah! What incredible arrogance."
"Let's see how he gets himself out of this!"
There were plenty of remarks like these, showing that many people were eager to watch him make a fool of himself.
Immortal Chang'er Dingguang had been hiding in the shadows all along. Especially after Daoist Duobao appeared, he was even less likely to show himself.
If he showed his face, the blame for everything might be pointed at him. He wouldn't dare reveal himself for real, either; if he were discovered, he'd be in serious trouble.
Duobao was the chief disciple, after all.
His strength was formidable.
Sect Master Tongtian was the sect leader, and Duobao could at least be considered the deputy leader.
That showed just how powerful he was.
However...
Just as everyone was sneering,
a wave of energy suddenly spread through the area.
Lin Chuan finally stopped suppressing his cultivation. He had only been trying to calm himself down and gradually draw on the cultivation technique for reasoning.
But he had still been rather cautious.
He hadn't intended to raise his cultivation to the Grand Unity Golden Immortal level all at once. That would have been far too hasty, and others might have noticed something was wrong.
So he had been increasing it little by little.
Now, he had reached a critical point.
His aura burst forth!
Everyone froze. Most of them wore shocked expressions, because in that instant, they could feel Lin Chuan's strength rising significantly.
It was happening incredibly fast!
And even now, his strength was still climbing rapidly, as if it wouldn't stop.
Everyone stared, dumbfounded.
It was simply too outrageous. Cultivation didn't work like that for them, and this place wasn't some sacred cultivation ground.
How could someone's strength rise so much all at once?
My heavens!
That was absurd!
"N-no... That's impossible! Absolutely impossible!"
"How could his strength rise so much all at once? It's like he's blasting off on a rocket!"
"My heavens! It's fake! It's all fake!"
"How could anyone in this world cultivate so quickly? How could his cultivation speed be so terrifying?"
"No... This has to be an illusion! An illusion!"
The expressions of those who had been sneering gradually turned blank. When they came to their senses, their faces were full of disbelief.
They had only just finished speaking, and now they'd been proven wrong in an instant.
After all, the speed of his breakthrough was astonishing. They knew all too well that at their level, increasing one's strength wasn't nearly as easy as they imagined.
And yet...
Lin Chuan seemed to face no obstacles at all, as if there were no bottlenecks.
Wasn't this a bit too much?
Terrifying!
Everyone looked shocked.
Those who had harbored hostility toward him were now utterly devastated. They had never imagined things would turn out this way.
They could hardly believe it.
Hidden in the shadows, Immortal Chang'er Dingguang's expression shifted repeatedly. He could already sense a hint of danger.
Especially as Lin Chuan's strength continued to grow.
At that moment,
it was as if a heavy blow had struck him in the chest.
"No, he won't succeed! He absolutely won't!"
"There aren't any resources here that are good enough, and the spiritual energy isn't especially abundant. No matter how talented he is, he can't break through whenever he wants."
"If he had already reached a critical point, then maybe he could break through by sheer luck."
"But with all these people watching, there's no way he can succeed!"
"Impossible!"
He was starting to waver. Lin Chuan's strength was still increasing, and that was making him uneasy.
The unease persisted.
Compared with the others, he knew that if Lin Chuan failed, he would effectively be cast aside—and that was assuming no one found out what he had done.
If what he had done came to light,
he would certainly be punished. What he had done could already be considered harming a fellow disciple.
Therefore,
he couldn't help but panic.
The Ten Heavenly Lords watched with great interest from the side. Even they hadn't expected to witness such a stunning spectacle.
At first, Lin Chuan's words had indeed sounded somewhat arrogant.
But they had always trusted Sect Master Tongtian.
That was why they hadn't questioned him. Lin Chuan was a Personal Disciple, after all, so he had to have something going for him.
Now it seemed he truly had some impressive ability. The way his strength kept rising struck them as fascinating. If there was some secret behind it, they really wanted to learn it.
Day Heavenly Lord rubbed his chin, anticipation showing on his face.
"Interesting..."
"If he really breaks through now, it'll cause a tremendous stir. And even if he doesn't, just what he's demonstrated so far..."
"...won't bring shame to his title as a Personal Disciple."
"He's truly remarkable. No wonder Master accepted him as a Personal Disciple. He clearly has some real ability, even if he hasn't fully grown yet."
"Still, there's no denying that his strength is formidable. It probably won't be long before he can catch up with most people."
"That's what you'd expect of a Personal Disciple!"
The other Heavenly Lords nodded.
They all agreed. They knew that gaining strength at such a terrifying rate was an incredible feat.
They didn't think they could do it themselves.
So they couldn't help marveling. No wonder Sect Master Tongtian had personally accepted him as a Personal Disciple.
He really did have some ability.
Hearing the gasps around him, Lin Chuan's lips curled slightly.
"This is nothing. I've only shown a little of what I can do, and you're already this shocked."
"Looks like it's time to show my real strength."
"Mock me? Slander me?"
"Hah! I'm serious about slapping you in the face!"
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