As soon as the mysterious cultivator in the black mask finished speaking...
A low murmur of agreement rose within the underground palace.
But the agreement did not last long before several voices laden with doubt rang out in succession—
Quite a few of the more meticulous thinkers had also noticed certain inconsistencies.
At that moment!
A cultivator in a daoist robe patterned with azure lines, his aura grave and steady, was the first to speak.
His tone brimmed with confusion and vigilance. His voice passed through the mask, carrying a faint weight that was hard to detect:
"Something isn't right!
"If the president of the Cultivator Association is not the ancient Rogue Cultivator of legend, but a cultivator of this age like us...
"Then how, exactly, did he break through to the Spirit Transformation realm?"
His words were like a massive boulder cast into a tranquil lake, instantly stirring up towering waves.
Many cultivators nodded in succession, the confusion in their eyes growing deeper.
Another cultivator, whose face was concealed in shadow, immediately took up the thread. His tone was full of certainty, yet also tinged with disbelief:
"One must understand that breaking through to the Spirit Transformation realm requires an astronomical amount of spiritual energy—a truly vast sea of it!
"The meager spiritual energy of ordinary Spirit Veins simply cannot sustain the terrifying expenditure during such a breakthrough.
"Even those great Spirit Veins that nourish entire major sects are nowhere near enough!"
He paused, his voice becoming increasingly grave, as though he had witnessed the horrific aftermath of failed breakthroughs caused by insufficient spiritual energy:
"Once the spiritual energy runs dry midway through a breakthrough, not only will one fail to glimpse the gateway to the Spirit Transformation realm, one will instead suffer a dreadful backlash of spiritual energy.