Inside Heshui Cave, voices roared in a crowded gathering.
This was Jiang Yi's first time attending a small gathering of Inner Peaks disciples.
Han Li, who hailed from the Huangfeng Han Clan, was presumably the second-in-command, beneath only Xu Yan, and his words carried considerable weight.
He invited Jiang Yi to take a lower seat at his table, while Wang Heng, usually so adept at navigating social occasions, and Lu Yun, a veteran of Herb-Gathering Peak, could only join another table. Both looked ill at ease, their faces stiff with restraint.
After all, everyone at this table was an Inner Peaks senior brother whose cultivation far surpassed theirs. Ordinarily, they could barely exchange a few words with them; now, they were certainly not qualified to sit at the same table.
Forthright by nature, Han Li wasted no time beating around the bush. "What is your current cultivation, Junior Brother Jiang?"
Jiang Yi inclined his body calmly and answered slowly, "Some time ago, I was fortunate enough to enter the fifth level of Qi Refining. Thanks to Duty Officer Yang's favor, I was granted a portion of Mingtang Qi. My cultivation reached completion this morning, and I successfully broke through to the sixth level of Qi Refining."
Han Li had been somewhat casual at first. After all, Jiang Yi had yet to be formally added to the Inner Peaks roster and remained an Outer Sect Mortal Laborer in others' eyes.
But upon hearing "sixth level of Qi Refining," his expression immediately grew more serious. "What good fortune, Junior Brother Jiang! Among the Spirit Chances compatible with Ding Fire, Mingtang Qi is a rare treasure indeed. It is no easy thing to obtain."
A trace of shame appeared on Jiang Yi's face. "It was all thanks to Duty Officer Yang's nurturing, not