The defeated Liu Yang struggled to climb to his feet, his face filled with dejection.
He recalled how, after being found to possess upper second-grade root bone, everything had gone smoothly for him in his little county seat. He had reached late-stage transformation force at a young age, then come to the Eight Extremes Gate in the prefecture city and been accepted as a true disciple almost without taking a test. Before long, he had made his gate breakthrough and attained embracing elixir force.
His journey had been smooth sailing, and great hopes had been placed on him. Everyone had believed his future was boundless. Yet his very first sect mission had brought him up against a branch hall of the Demonic Sect. He had suffered grievous injuries and taken a full year to recover, falling behind in his cultivation. As he watched the other young disciples of the Five Sects Alliance shine one after another, his sense of loss needed no explanation.
Especially after arriving in the capital and truly witnessing the geniuses who stood at the top of the Tiger Ranking, a fierce resolve had risen in him. He had fought desperately to prove himself.
He had finally made it into the main examination, only to lose to Qin Guanyue in a single exchange. Only now did he realize the despair-inducing gulf between himself and the truly dazzling geniuses.
Seeing Liu Yang's ashen face, Yu Ruoyun could not help frowning. He knew this string of experiences had dealt a tremendous blow to Liu Yang's spirit. Unless he recovered properly, he might truly sink into despondency for good.
And now, looking at Zhao Feng on the other side, he felt an even more complicated mix of emotions.
This disciple of ordinary root bone, whom their Eight Extremes Gate had