She had long stood alongside Li Mengzhu as one of Qingchuan's twin prodigies. Her foundation was solid, her comprehension exceptional, and her temperament patient and restrained. She had always advanced steadily, certain that a breakthrough was only a matter of time.
During her last retreat, she had built up deep reserves and prepared thoroughly. She had been confident she could break into the Vajra Realm in one stroke, but at the final moment of condensing her Vajra Force, her true qi had run dry. Her cultivation foundation had suffered slight damage, and she had failed.
Afterward, she had devoted herself to quiet recovery, repairing her foundation and stabilizing her cultivation at the Elixir-Embracing Peak while she waited patiently for another chance.
Even after that setback, she still counted herself among the finest of her generation. With another half year of focused cultivation, she was sure she could break through. Xiao Dongsheng had merely gotten lucky and taken the first step. Catching up to him would not be difficult.
But the news that Cheng Heng had reached the Inner Vajra Realm struck like thunder, shattering her composure and certainty.
She and Cheng Heng were both chief disciples of their sects. She had always believed her seniority, foundation, and accumulated cultivation far surpassed those of Cheng Heng, who had risen only recently. To her, he had been a junior trying to catch up.
Yet in a few short months, everything had turned upside down.
The junior had overtaken her on the bend, quietly entered the Vajra Realm, and leaped above everyone of their generation. Now he held the lofty position of court master and stood on equal footing with sect elders.
She, meanwhile, remained trapped at the Elixir-Embracing Peak, unable to advance.
For the first time, that vast gulf stirred a fierce