"The majority of the rest are Golden Core mid-grade and high-grade disciples, and these two realms probably make up over seventy percent, no, eighty percent of the two hundred person list."

"Then the remaining twenty percent are us low-grade Golden Core disciples, and among us low-grade Golden Core..."

"It seems like I'm the only one."

I didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

In fact, among the low-grade Golden Core disciples, only Jiang Feng was participating as a main competitor. The other main fighters were either Nascent Soul or at the Peak of Core Formation, making him the odd one out.

The remaining twenty percent of low-grade Golden Core disciples mostly have functional roles, such as disciples from Chi Xiao Peak, whose cultivation realms aren't high but can provide a lot of assistance with divine weapons and equipment, refining magic treasure or weapons on the spot.

There are also disciples from Divine Wood Peak, whose cultivation realms aren't high but can continuously provide spiritual energy to heal injuries. Simply put, the vast majority of low-grade Golden Core disciples are support units, whereas he's the only one going up to fight.

"Nowadays, my cultivation speed hasn't slowed down at all. Originally, I expected to break through to mid-grade Golden Core in about a year, but after risking my life a few times and obtaining Xuan Xiaozi's flesh and blood, my progress has been much faster."

"No wonder senior sister always says that to gain insight, one must push themselves to the brink of life and death to be eligible to touch upon it. Although I barely survived a few times, the realm advancement is genuinely quick."

"The Dantian is overflowing with spiritual energy, the life force is saturated, the physical and mental state is exceptionally good, and with the Heavenly Clarity and Serenity True Technique, the instability of spiritual energy is now rare. I've prepared the elixir."

"If all goes well, I should be able to attempt advancing to mid-grade Golden Core in over a month. If possible, I should aim to break through smoothly before arriving in Dongyue, so as not to become a laughingstock for Yue Yue."

"Why does this Dantian feel so much like a stomach?"

He shook his head speechlessly.

Someone, though silent, was quite concerned about his cultivation realm falling behind his little girlfriend. He had only broken through to Golden Core earlier this year just before the New Year, which was already more than half a year ago, strictly speaking, seven months.

According to his initial estimate, he gave himself a year to break through to mid-grade Golden Core. But during this half-year, he had several close calls, pushing his body to the limit, although each time nearly killed him, the benefits he gained were undeniable.

Especially after obtaining Xuan Xiaozi's flesh and blood, though it didn't directly improve his cultivation, the strength contained in that flesh was equally terrifying. Recently, he could clearly feel congestion in his meridians when circulating spiritual energy, no doubt a sign of an impending breakthrough.

Leaning against the pavilion while pondering, the boy suddenly moved!

Snap!

He grabbed the longsword coming at him from behind!

Unfortunately, that wooden sword slipped away from his palm like a spiritual snake, leaving him stunned, then suddenly!

"Ouch."

There was a sharp pain in his side.

The wooden sword pressed directly against his waist; he still couldn't catch it, which made him quite aggravated.

"Senior sister, if you press any harder, Swordmaster Peak's lineage might end!"

Undoubtedly.

The person behind him was Liu Tangxi.

Liu Xianzi was the only one who usually greeted him like this, and her expression stayed unchanged, her eyes showing some satisfaction. Although she had high expectations for her junior's progress, she didn't expect him to advance faster than she thought.

Her original plan was for him to reach the Nascent Soul Stage within ten years, but now it seems this speed might be halved.

Retrieving the wooden sword, she reached out to lightly pat the boy's head, not heavily, more a caress than a pat.

"It seems your time with Yu Ying wasn't just playful banter; you've indeed learned some skills. You can now sense my Divine Soul."

"Uh."

It was only when she spoke that he realized his senior sister hadn't released any presence from start to finish, but her tone was slightly queer.

"Senior sister, why are you jealous today? What do you mean by playful banter? I have a clean and pure relationship with her..."

"You really were generous with that Earth Rank mid-grade item, just to repay a favor? She'd probably be willing to work tirelessly for you for half a lifetime."

"Ahem, you know me, I don't like owing others."

The brother and sister began their usual casual chatter, and from Liu Tangxi's expression, he didn't see much seriousness or reproach, more like consolation.

Because like her own brother, Liu Xianzi had a personality that repaid kindness with kindness, as if sensing what was on his mind, she simply adjusted her long dress and sat on the stone chair, speaking slowly.

"More than half of the over two hundred handpicked by the sect have already left; when are you planning to depart?"

"Senior sister, why are you always thinking about sending me down the mountain? Hmph, I'm not going."

He proudly raised his head.

"Hmm, very well. I will write a letter to the Southern Border then..."

"In seven days, I must perfect these two cultivation techniques. Right now, I haven't even half figured them out yet."

He answered without hesitation.

No other way, it was his weak point.

His senior sister had already told him before that she had written a letter to the Southern Border, mainly to show some concern for Cen Yueyue, with whom they had a brief acquaintance, and to inquire about where she planned to train.

If Jiang Feng wrote, he would certainly be ignored, but Liu Tangxi was different; they had to show her respect, and moreover, despite the old patriarch of the Cen Family Village huffing and glaring, Cen Yuey's mother and father weren't too opposed.

From their first interaction, the two of them knew and purposefully kept silent, letting young people handle things themselves.

"Hmm, decide for yourself... put in some strength, have you not eaten?"

She calmly uttered these few words.

Upon a glance, at some unknown moment, Liu Tangxi was already seated on the chair sipping tea, while Jiang Feng stood behind her rubbing her shoulders, depicting a scene that left people speechless, as if assuming Liu Tangxi had just returned from a training session.

However, no matter how much rubbing and kneading, the tea in the cup remained perfectly still.

"Senior sister, didn't I just finish training outside, so why am I the one giving you a shoulder rub?"

"Shall I give you a rub then?"

"...Forget it."

Honestly, his senior sister had indeed given him a rub before.

But every time she applied a slight bit of force, she would nearly crush his bones.

"Recently, I've noticed you go down to the main peak's base after returning from Yu Ying's place, probably preparing the treasures for your future adventures. I'm in no rush to push you to leave. If you prefer, you can wait until after your breakthrough before leaving the mountain gate."

She glanced at him.

Helping with shoulder rubbing wasn't purely for pleasure; it was to gauge the other's internal state. Though Liu Tangxi never spoke, as soon as she touched, she could clearly tell her junior's condition.

Compared to half a year ago, the amount of force under the same requirement had increased by at least thirty percent. It might not sound like much, but Jiang Feng's physique was already one step above ordinary people, and now it was approaching the strength of the Nascent Soul Stage.

The energy within him was equally evident as soon as she touched it, with spiritual energy overflowing, slightly showing signs of going out of control—an indication of an impending breakthrough.

Jiang Feng had started preparing for his journey days ago, extracting many ores from a natural cave known as "Earth Frost" locally, or potassium nitrate in modern terms.

These substances generally appear in dry, poorly ventilated areas that aren't easily washed by water. Moreover, his Qiankun Bag was filled with sulfur stone and ground carbon powder.

He had nearly exhausted the spiritual energy obtained from the three years of adventuring, using it primarily to exchange for cultivation-related items like spirit grass and elixirs.

"Spare me, cultivation is a matter of destiny. Making me stay home might honestly prevent a breakthrough. I wasn't it engaged in a fight outside just before I formed my Golden Core and achieved some insight?"

"Indeed, junior brother, since we coincidentally have time today, would you mind sharing your plans for the next two years?"

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