Three years later.
"Island Lord, another ten thousand people have been transported here from Mysterious Constancy Island." Those steady words came from Gao Yuliang.
The mountain-guarding disciple who had once been so adept at handling everyone on Outer Disciple Peak had changed considerably, now exuding an air of competence from head to toe.
Years of tempering had left a deep mark on him, and his cultivation had risen like a boat on a swelling tide, reaching the peak of the eighth layer of Qi Refining.
He was only one step away from the Qi Refining ninth layer.
In the blink of an eye, Gao Yuliang was already nearing fifty.
Yet unlike other Qi Refining Stage disciples with no hope of Foundation Establishment, he now positively shone.
Hearing this, Qing Chen, who sat at the head of the hall, looked pleased.
He nodded lightly, his approval plain to see. "Good. You handled this matter very well, and your cultivation has improved too.
"Promoting you to manager of Hidden Spirit Island was indeed a case of having the eye to recognize a pearl. I did not misjudge you. You have done very well these past three years.
"Now, Hidden Spirit Island has around a hundred thousand people. Oh, and you must keep up the training at Azure Dragon Stronghold as well."
With that, he casually tossed an exquisite jade vial, which landed squarely before Gao Yuliang. "There are two Spirit Awakening Pills inside. They should help you break through your current bottleneck and enter a new realm."
Spirit Awakening Pills were extremely precious medicinal pills within the Condensed Jade Sect, refined specifically for breaking through the bottleneck to the Qi Refining ninth layer.
These pills were extraordinarily rare and worth a fortune.
Together, the two were precious enough to rival a