The price, of course, was that his entire arm was enveloped by Sword Qi. If he hadn't absorbed Xuan Xiaozi's flesh and had a good physique, his right hand's flesh would likely have been scraped clean, leaving only tiny wounds.

Scorch marks were also understandable. When lightning entered his body and operated in overdrive, although it stopped the bleeding on his arm immediately, when Liu Tangxi went to rescue him, she could already smell the aroma of grilled meat on her junior brother's body, which showed just how crazy this kid had become.

Although the right hand looked miserable, it was essentially just surface damage. In other words, it could rely on metabolism to regenerate, and it would be fine after shedding its skin twice.

But the left hand was different; it had a classic bone fracture.

Because of that last strike.

Even Liu Tangxi praised the Magic Treasure crafted by her junior brother. Jiang Feng had once tried to spar with her, and with her personality, she agreed. To her surprise, when a burst of fire came her way...

She caught it barehanded.

To be precise, caught it with two fingers. When she grasped it, the bullet deformed, and there was even steam coming off of it.

Yes, catching a bullet with bare hands.

"This Magic Treasure is good for a sneak attack as a Hidden Weapon. Its power is considerable. Below Nascent Soul Stage, no one can withstand it. Without protection artifacts, even above Nascent Soul Stage, it might be hard to take on. But if prepared, the extent of its power remains uncertain."

This was her evaluation of her junior brother's Magic Treasure. Given her strength, this appraisal was already quite terrifying, and indeed, her prediction proved true.

In any prepared situation against a Nascent Soul Stage expert, the potential power is quite limited.

"Yes, truly disappointing."

"Throughout history, in any Nine Peaks Tournament, if Swordmaster Peak participated, it guaranteed a spot in the top two, and never fell out of the top four throughout thousands of years."

"You are the worst batch I've ever led."

Heart-stopping moment.

It wasn't that Jiang was breaking down from his senior sister's criticism, but this comment sounded all too familiar. If he remembered correctly, he had heard teachers say such words from elementary school through university graduation.

The greatest are always the past batch, and the worst are always the current one.

As she said this, Liu Tangxi's mouth curled into an uncontrollable smile. Those familiar with her knew she was deliberately teasing Jiang Feng; the siblings bickered daily, which had become a routine part of life.

In the past, it might have alarmed the other girls, but by now, they were used to it. On the day Nine Peaks Tournament ended, as the Peak Master, she attended the banquet hosted by Dragon Head Peak with her disciples and lavishly praised her disciples during the banquet and the awards ceremony afterward.

Peak Masters, elders, and even the Sect Master expressed their congratulations to Swordmaster Peak and emphasized the importance of her disciples. This year's tournament had made Swordmaster Peak truly shine.

Though their rankings weren't glamorous, in the Cultivation World, strength is always paramount. Moreover, the oldest new disciples had barely been initiated for three years. Even a pig could see their potential. If luck weren't so unfavorable, Jiang Feng might have genuinely contended for the top four.

The issue with luck is...

"In life, one has dreams, each unique. That's how it is. At worst, expel me from the sect. Your dear junior brother's competence is as good as it gets. Do as you see fit."

Rolling his eyes, he gave up on the spot.

However, today, Liu Tangxi was clearly in a good mood, especially after just having unleashed her frustration outside, and with her junior brother waking from a coma today, her expression had traces of a smile.

Approaching, she placed a hand on the boy's forehead, assessing his body's condition while speaking.

"With a character like yours, it wouldn't be surprising if your Dao Heart shattered. But I wasn't deceiving you. Indeed, historically, this is the worst ranked batch, but in terms of strength, they are among the top."

"Had you not encountered Gu Miyun, you might have contended for the top four against Lan Zhu Peak's Core Formation Peak senior disciple."

"Even with your Magic Treasure, aiming for the top three would be tough. The gap between Nascent Soul Stage and Core Formation is vast. Since you fought Gu Miyun, you should realize he didn't exert himself fully, perhaps only 80%."

"Whether at the start or till the end, he was holding back. If he initially took out the Purple Gold Alms Bowl and the Hidden Sound World Purification Technique, the battle might have been one-sided. The reason you gained upper hand and initiative was largely due to his self-restraint."

"For an average cultivator, even ten Core Formation Peak cultivators might not keep a fleeing Nascent Soul Stage. When fighting, one could easily handle three or shouldn't struggle with five."

"Considering your battle a few days ago, even facing Chen Shan or Wei Jie wouldn't yield much better results. Below Nascent Soul Stage, you can now indeed be king."

"Hmm… I'm very satisfied."

He went blank.

Facing such generous praise from his senior sister, Jiang Feng felt a bit out of sorts. Normally it was ridicule, but today it turned to praise, catching him by surprise.

So,

"Senior Sister, perhaps you should go back to criticizing me. I'm not quite used to this…"

"Pfft!"

Lin Meimei, who was changing his bandages, couldn't hold back, and her hand slipped, nearly wrapping gauze around Jiang Feng's head.

Even Liu Tangxi couldn't help but sigh.

"You, your recovery isn't bad. I'd say another three days or so, and you'll be able to get out of bed. Your left arm will take a bit more time. Speaking of which, why do you and Lu Luo always play around to the point of near death? Do you both have a masochistic streak?"

"Pfft!"

Su Yi, who was also changing bandages, couldn't hold back either, nearly bursting out laughing but quickly finished changing the dressings and hurriedly led the other sisters out.

The room was left with only the two of them. Liu Tangxi wasn't naturally expressive in words. Lately, she'd spent most of her time raiding for heavenly materials and treasures from other Mountain Gates' backyards and inviting Purple Cloud Palace's top healing Peak Masters to treat him.

The space was left for just the two siblings.

They looked at each other, saying nothing, only the sound of breathing between them.

"Senior Sister…"

Seeing the boy's hoarse voice, she lifted her hand, gesturing for him to remain calm, naturally sitting at the bedside, slowly speaking, "I know what you want to ask."

"From when you fought, it has been five days."

"Over these five days, the tournament has ended. As for rankings, there's no need for you to worry. After evaluations by various elders and peak masters, the conclusion is ninth, which exceeds my expectations."

"So after you can get out of bed in a few days, you can join other senior brothers and sisters to choose an item you like. As to what to choose or how to exchange for it, that's your concern, but rest assured, you've made your senior sister and Mountain Gate proud."

"In these unconscious five days, your physical condition wasn't so bad. Xuan Xiaozi's Essence Blood was indeed miraculous. Despite the massive realm gap and extreme high pressure, it couldn't crush your body. Just a few more days to recuperate."

"Though your internal organs were shaken, they weren't severely harmed. The bone injury was solely in your left arm, partly because of the excessive power from your Magic Treasure. It's the first time I've seen a treasure that injures its user almost as much as it harms the enemy."

"Top three were Gu, Chen, and Wei. Liang Yu ranked nineteenth. Among historical disciples, those who reached the top twenty at Foundation Establishment Peak were rare."

"After your condition improves enough to get out of bed, there's someone who wants to see you, not the Sect Master, but the person present during your battle with Gu Miyun. Do you remember who?"

What?

Completely baffled.

He certainly had no memory.

Frankly, he hadn't even noticed who the referee was at the time because at the time

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