"These three martial uncles hadn't entered the sect much earlier than you. Their cultivation progress was about the same—Foundation Establishment in three years, Golden Core in seven. Do the math: they never even took part in the Sect Grand Competition for the Foundation Establishment Realm."
The newly initiated junior sisters: ...
"Still, the little martial granduncle took second place in the Sect Grand Competition back then. He only lost because he hadn't cultivated for long enough. Now, no one knows the depths of his cultivation, so don't jump to conclusions."
Sure enough, Wen Xu took the stage the very next day. By rights, he was only at Middle Golden Core and did not possess Chen Zui's fearsome reputation, the kind that made people pale at the mere mention of his name. Yet perhaps because of his status, hardly anyone came up to challenge him. In the end, the referee had to draw opponents at random. Though he deliberately held himself back, he still advanced with remarkable speed.
The Golden Core True Persons of Yonglu Mountain were all Inner Sect disciples who had gone down the mountain to cultivate. As Wen Xu exchanged spells with them, he could clearly sense that they were utterly different from certain watered-down Golden Cores below the mountain. But... he seemed able to handle them with ease all the same.
Wen Xu looked at the clear qi winding around his Windfold Sword and, for once, experienced an epiphany much like Chen Zui's.
While he easily secured a place in the next round, Bian Chunchou ran into an obstacle. He had not expected to see Shi Yijian, whom he had not seen in a long time, on the arena stage.
"Senior Brother Shi?"
Shi Yijian raised his brows, his face bearing its signature smile. "Oh, Junior Brother