"This is your task settlement slip!" Fan Chongde handed the slip he had written to Xu Yang.
In the blink of an eye, their three-month guarding assignment at the Divine Armory Pavilion had ended without incident.
"Shopkeeper Fan, we'll take our leave."
Taking the settlement slip, Xu Yang left the Divine Armory Pavilion with Zhou Zhichao and the others and headed back to the Violet Sun Gate.
"Brother Xu, have you reached astral qi perfection?" Zhou Zhichao asked.
"By a stroke of luck, I reached it a few days ago," Xu Yang said with a smile.
Only half a year remained until the annual Outer Sect Grand Competition. If he revealed his cultivation at astral qi perfection now, it would be perfectly natural for him to compete at the marrow cleansing realm when the competition began.
Even if Zhou Zhichao had not asked, he had planned to announce in a few days that he had reached astral qi perfection and was beginning his attempt to break into the marrow cleansing realm.
"Truly worthy of being a genius among the Ten Elites!" Zhou Zhichao cupped his hands.
Inwardly, however, he reckoned that if Xu Yang had only just reached astral qi perfection, he could not possibly complete marrow cleansing before the Outer Sect Grand Competition.
That meant he would have to undertake a Qualification Task if he wanted to enter the Inner Sect.
His mind began to work, and he considered forming an alliance with Xu Yang to complete their Qualification Tasks together.
Xu Yang looked faintly abashed. "Brother Zhou, you know a lot of people. Has anyone among the Ten Elites completed marrow cleansing?"
Apart from the top three on the Top Ten Heroes Ranking, it had been almost five months since the earliest of the others had reached astral