Steward Chen moved closer to Xiao Chen, studying him intently from head to toe.
Though his Spiritual Root aptitude was average, his comprehension was far beyond that of an ordinary person. It was incredible.
With this advantage, Xiao Chen had a real chance of reaching the late stages of Qi Refining and becoming an Inner Sect Disciple within a few years, or even just one.
'He might not stop at being an Inner Sect Disciple. Could he possibly reach the Foundation Establishment stage in the future?'
'It's very possible!'
'This is a Foundation Establishment seed!'
As he thought this, the more Steward Chen looked at Xiao Chen, the more he liked what he saw.
The young man had a bright future.
He decided he would take Xiao Chen to see his Third Uncle right away to report this and discuss it. An investment must be made early.
He couldn't wait until the boy reached Foundation Establishment to rush over with gifts. That would be far too late.
While Steward Chen was lost in thought, the others all had their own complex feelings.
To be honest, a single sixth-level Qi Refining disciple in the Li Huo Sect wasn't all that special on their own.
As long as one hadn't entered the Inner Sect, they were ultimately just a low-level laborer, toiling away to support others on their path to immortality.
However, Xiao Chen's rate of progress—one didn't even need to check the records to know—had absolutely shattered the Li Huo Sect's all-time high.
Reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining at just twenty-one years old was enough to earn him the title of a talented youth.
But to break through from the first to the sixth level of Qi Refining in a single year? That could only be described as monstrous genius.
Chen Guangyu stared at Xiao Chen, completely dumbfounded.
'The junior brother who traded with me... is actually this incredible?'
In truth, Chen Guangyu had held a grudge against Xiao Chen ever since the rankings were announced.
It was for no other reason than the fact that he believed from the bottom of his heart that Xiao Chen had deceived him.
Back then, Xiao Chen had offered a total of seventy-two points for their trade, leading him to assume that was all Xiao Chen had.
While that amount was a bit high, it was unexpected yet still reasonable. After all, his own initial goal had been around seventy points.
That was why he had chosen the strategy of only buying fifty points to save his Spirit Stones.
But after the trial ended, he was pushed out of the top three, losing out on a Xuan-rank Cultivation Technique.
At the same time, he noticed that Xiao Chen had an additional sixty-five points, which had placed him ninth.
In Chen Guangyu's eyes, Xiao Chen's act of intentionally selling only a portion of his points had severely misled his judgment.
If he had known that someone like Xiao Chen was capable of earning 115 points, he definitely wouldn't have stopped at just 104.
They had agreed to a trade, yet Xiao Chen had hidden some of his points instead of selling them, keeping them to compete for a rank himself. It was despicable, utterly shameless.
So he came to resent Xiao Chen, believing this junior brother to be deceitful and cunning.
He decided to stay away from such a villain in the future and find a chance to get revenge.
But Chen Guangyu never expected that after just a few days, Xiao Chen would be at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
What was more terrifying was that the man had clearly demonstrated extraordinary potential.
He turned his head to look at Song Zhongming on his right and saw him staring at Xiao Chen with a thoughtful expression.
'Tsk, he's definitely taken an interest. Is the Song Family going to recruit this kid?'
He then turned to Liu Benxin on his left and found him also gazing intently at Xiao Chen, stroking his chin as if trying to recall something.
Chen Guangyu frowned. It seemed everyone was interested. 'This revenge might not be so easy to get.'
'Why does a treacherous villain like him have such good luck?'
Chen Guangyu pondered for a moment, then looked over at Jiang Sixuan.
Huh? Jiang Sixuan wasn't looking at Xiao Chen. Instead, she was staring blankly at the ground, lost in thought.
A hint of confusion appeared on her beautiful face, which was incredibly captivating.
Chen Guangyu was instantly captivated. Forgetting all about Xiao Chen, he began to calculate the odds of a marriage between himself and Jiang Sixuan.
This wasn't just wishful thinking on his part. After all, the Five Great Immortal Races often intermarried, their families deeply intertwined.
What Chen Guangyu would never guess was that Jiang Sixuan was lost in thought precisely because of Xiao Chen.
Even when the trial ended and Xiao Chen had secured ninth place, she had been convinced it was just luck.
But with Xiao Chen reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining, her conviction was finally shaken.
'Is all of this really just luck?'
'Was my previous judgment wrong?'
'Should I continue to distance myself from Xiao Chen, or should I try to approach him again and get closer?'
For the first time since she began her cultivation, Jiang Sixuan felt lost and uncertain about a decision she had made.
"Ahem."
Steward Chen cleared his throat twice and announced, "Does anyone have any more questions about this trial?"
The crowd was silent. It was clear no one cared about the trial anymore.
"In that case, you are all dismissed. Go back and cultivate diligently. Strive for an early breakthrough."
"Xiao Chen, you come with me."
Steward Chen beckoned for him to follow.
Xiao Chen followed. The two of them left the Second Division, and after a series of twists and turns, they arrived at a small garden on the side of the mountain.
Hundreds of different types of flowers were planted here. It was August, and the flowers were in full bloom. Multicolored butterflies flitted among them, an overwhelmingly beautiful sight.
Arriving at a bamboo house, Steward Chen stopped. "Wait here a moment. I'll go see if my Third Uncle is in."
Outside the Feihong Mountain Range, Xiao Chen had seen Steward Chen being called away by his Third Uncle, the Outer Sect Elder, Chen Tianyang.
That had been the first time he had seen a figure of an Elder's rank with his own eyes since joining the sect.
He never thought that upon his return, Steward Chen would actually bring him to pay a visit to Elder Chen.
Soon, Steward Chen came out with a smile. "Come in. My Third Uncle happens to be resting. Don't be nervous; he has always been very kind."
Xiao Chen followed him through the front hall and into a room in the back, where he saw Chen Tianyang dressed in a long robe.
A disc-shaped Magical Artifact was placed in front of Chen Tianyang. The moment he saw Xiao Chen, he gestured for him to reach out. "You're Xiao Chen. Come, grip this pearl tightly."
This was a Magical Artifact that could test a person's Spiritual Root aptitude.
After hearing Steward Chen's report, Elder Chen's first reaction was that there might have been a mistake in the Spiritual Root test back when Xiao Chen first joined.
Xiao Chen obediently reached out, and a faint green light immediately lit up.
Below it were several other faint glimmers of color, but they were so dim they were almost completely obscured and invisible.
"It really is a low-grade Wood Spirit Root!"
Only after testing it himself did Elder Chen believe it. "Strange. Your Spiritual Root is indeed poor, yet you ended up being even faster than Lin Ping'an."
"He got lucky and found a Jade Ginseng, reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining in half a year. I thought that record would be hard to break for a long time."
"I never expected you to be even faster than him. Truly, every generation produces its own talents. The young are formidable."
Xiao Chen quickly cupped his hands. "This disciple was just a bit lucky. It was a fluke."
Elder Chen shook his head. "A fluke? I don't think this is just a fluke."
As soon as Elder Chen said this, Xiao Chen's pupils contracted.
'What does he mean by that?'