Just then, Gu Sheng slowly opened his eyes. A flash of silver glinted in his pupils before vanishing. They were deep and clear, devoid of their previous pain and agitation, leaving only calm restraint.
Seeing Tantai Mingjing standing before him, he was not particularly surprised. Evidently, when his spiritual power had spread out earlier, he had vaguely sensed the reaction on the top floor.
He rose to his feet and offered a respectful yet composed salute.
"Thank you, Senior, for bestowing the Virtual Spirit Source upon me. With its aid, this junior was fortunate enough to complete my third refinement. My spiritual power has fully solidified, and I have gained an initial glimpse of the threshold of the ninth grade."
"Third... refinement?"
Tantai Mingjing repeated the words instinctively. A distinctly stunned expression appeared on her exquisite face.
Even the restrained Saint Realm aura around her fluctuated slightly.
With the knowledge and perspective of a Saint Realm powerhouse, it was only upon closely examining Gu Sheng now that the shock in her heart surged like a tide.
Seventh level of the Sect Realm! There was no mistake—his martial cultivation was unmistakably at the seventh level of the Sect Realm! For an ordinary martial artist at this level, possessing spiritual power at the fifth or sixth grade was already rare. Normally, only upon reaching the Venerable Realm would one's spiritual power rise significantly alongside the growth of the soul, reaching roughly the peak of the sixth grade.
To touch the seventh or eighth grade required either extraordinary talent or dedicated cultivation of secret spiritual arts. As for the ninth grade, it marked a qualitative transformation in spiritual power—the point at which it could truly interfere with reality and form "Divine Sense." It was usually tied to a profound understanding of the laws