The elders watching the handkerchief all sucked in sharp breaths. Was this girl some kind of monster?
"Th-this girl's ability to shape qi must have reached the very pinnacle."
"Has none of you noticed her control over her divine sense? Those were dozens of Ice Blades! Not a single one missed. Even a cultivator in the nascent soul realm would struggle to achieve that!"
"Her reserves of spiritual qi are truly enormous, too. She must have had a few fortuitous encounters of her own."
Someone else remarked sourly, "That fellow Chu Mojin really does have all the luck. He went three hundred years without taking a disciple, saying he would leave it to fate. Pah! I say he was waiting specifically for a genius like this to be born."
Only the Grand Elder seemed somewhat worried. In his eyes, exposing too sharp an edge was not necessarily a good thing. After all, hearts were difficult to fathom in the cultivation world. Even among cultivators of reputable, orthodox sects, not everyone harbored goodwill.
There was no shortage anywhere of people whose eyes reddened with envy at the sight of extraordinary talent, and there were even more among rogue cultivators.
There was a saying in the cultivation world that was cruel but true: only those who survived long enough to grow could be called geniuses.
This little girl had presumably been born with exceptional talent. If possible, he, too, hoped she would go far.
The Third Elder raised his brows. "Jing seems to be testing A Ling and Chao, but why do I feel as though he's targeting this little girl instead? Still, her cultivation is solid, her divine sense powerful, and her reactions are truly impressive."
An elder beside him glanced his way. "You only just noticed?"
The Third Elder looked