Childish Notions Clung to the Bone (1)

Chu Shihan drew a deep breath. The tightness in his chest seemed to ease a little.

He slowly raised his head and looked at Yu Xiao True Person. A haze of confusion clouded his usually steady eyes, but beneath it lay an urgent need to know. "Master, among my junior brothers and sisters, who would you call truly strong?"

Yu Xiao True Person looked up at the sky. The midday sun blazed overhead, and wisps of cloud drifted lazily beneath its heat. He seemed to give the question serious thought. Only after a long while did he answer, unhurriedly:

"The little girl whose swordplay is like rain is quite strong. The boy who spends all day thinking about food, drink, and gambling isn't bad either. Little Two is the same as ever—strong one moment, weak the next. Though lately, even I can't quite see through him... As for the strongest..."

He paused. Then, as though something had come to mind, his eyes brightened slightly. "Probably the little fellow Sixth Senior Brother just took in?"

"Eleventh Junior Brother?" Chu Shihan's pupils contracted. He could hardly believe his ears.

Song Zhiyi was only a Qi Refining Stage cultivator. His cultivation was so low that he barely ranked within the sect, and he was usually quiet, with little interest in drawing attention. Rather than sitting in meditation, he seemed to prefer burying himself in books at the Scripture Repository or helping the servants with odd jobs. Someone like him was the "strongest"?

"I don't know. I can't see through him." Yu Xiao True Person shook his head, though his tone was firm. "But I simply feel that he's strong. Stronger than all of you."

That was an astonishingly high appraisal. A Sword Venerable had made such a pronouncement about a Qi Refining Stage