Outside the gates of Heaven Momentum Mountain at dawn.
The candidates watched Li Qingxian and his companions walk away, sighing with emotion.
"What a pity. If something hadn't gone wrong with Fate Lake, Li Qingxian would probably be the chief outer disciple by now, wearing the Dao Establishment Mountain Crown and entering Dao Establishment Mountain to pay homage to the sages of past generations."
"He certainly had a chance, but whose hands the deer would finally fall into was still uncertain. After all, each of them won one round. Overall, Duan Tianji's chances were slightly better."
"It wasn't Duan Tianji's chances that were bigger. It was the Profound Heaven Dragon Ship over his head."
"And then the enforcement elder shut him down."
"Things haven't been going too smoothly for Li Qingxian lately. First he was sent off to the Northern Garrison Army all alone. I heard he was completely stripped of any real authority. He came to the Heaven Momentum Sect to compete for the Dao Establishment Mountain Crown, only to return empty-handed."
"Still, he must have gained something. With his abilities, he'll probably advance to Third Rank soon."
"That won't be easy. His goal must be First Rank or Beyond-Rank, which means he'll need a long time to explore the Great Dao and build up a powerful fate arts aspect. Think back: aside from the exceptional few who set lofty ambitions in their youth, most Grand Fate Arts Masters were stuck at Fourth Rank for ages."
"True..."
Li Qingxian and Cui Dianxing walked in front, while Cui Zhiyun and Yu Ping chatted about food, and Zhou Hen strolled along.
Cui Dianxing smiled. "There's something I don't understand. My lord, you're an outstanding talent of your generation. Why settle for a lesser position in the Northern Garrison Army? Why not