A Stepping Stone Can Be Extraordinary Too

Qi He could not help but freeze at those words.

He knew Ji Ye's cultivation level inside out. This junior brother of his was indeed quick-witted, but when it came to the path of cultivation, his talent could hardly be called outstanding in this day and age.

Setting aside Xia Pingyun's conduct, judging purely by talent, he had been properly selected from within the Alliance and admitted into the Hidden Dragon Project for focused training. That alone represented his talent and potential.

Perhaps the long-entrenched great sects and aristocratic clans were riddled with scheming and backroom dealings, but the Alliance had only just been founded. Where would all those social obligations and tangled relationships come from? Everyone was holding their breath, wanting to make the independent cultivator's cake bigger so that they and the families behind them could all sit at the table and have a share. Stirring up trouble over this would undoubtedly harm everyone's interests. They would never go that far.

Under such circumstances, even if Ji Ye truly broke through, so what?

There were real gaps in cultivators' talent, and combat experience had to be accumulated over long periods before it could be stored away. With Ji Ye holding no advantage in either aspect, how could he win?

Ye Xiu did not answer Qi He's doubts. He merely fixed his gaze on the center of the arena below.

"Do you not even have the courage to face me head-on? Ji Ye, you rank among the top five of the Hidden Dragon Sequence, yet you lack even this much fighting spirit. What face do you have to call yourself a cultivator?!"

On the arena, Xia Pingyun circulated his spiritual energy and took the initiative to advance. The arena was broad enough, and the forest and grassland in its