At this moment, seeing Zhao Lie—a martial artist born in a tiny commandery city—still unsatisfied after defeating an Iron Sword Sect true disciple and even daring to challenge Jian Wuchen, they found it all the more absurd.
"Who gave him the courage?"
"How does he dare?"
The true disciples could not help but chuckle.
Yet everything on the field happened too quickly. In the blink of an eye, Zhao Lie issued his challenge, Jian Wuchen accepted, and it was already done.
By the time they came to their senses, Zhao Lie had revealed that he, too, possessed Aperture-Condensing Realm cultivation.
Hearing this, they were utterly shocked and stared at Zhao Lie in disbelief.
Even as true disciples of the six great sects, they could not help crying out under their breaths, looking at Zhao Lie with baffled astonishment.
If a peerless genius like Jian Wuchen had reached the Aperture-Condensing Realm, that was one thing. After all, the Southern Heaven Sword Sect was the foremost sect in the entire south. With its vast resources and formidable guidance, it was customary for its Sword Heir to reach the Aperture-Condensing Realm.
Every generation of Southern Heaven Sword Sect Sword Heirs was at this realm.
As for true disciples like them from ordinary sects, it was only natural that they had not reached such a realm.
After all, they were not the leading figures their respective sects had chosen to put forward. They were merely true disciples. Reaching perfection in the Channel-Opening Realm was already thanks to the strength of their sects and their own advantageous standing within them.
As the saying went, "Cultivation comes easier when one serves at court." The same held true within great sects.
With ample resources, powerful cultivation arts, and the guidance of profound masters, they could naturally reach