"Are you saying Xiao Chen only got sixty-five points?"
"And you're sure this information is accurate?"
"You can go. I need to think."
Su Wanqing frowned, unable to make sense of this news.
She had seen that huge bag of Points Jade Tokens with her own eyes.
In any of the divisions, Xiao Chen could have undoubtedly taken first place and obtained a Mystic-Level Magic.
But he chose not to, not even competing for the top three.
Such an anomaly had to mean something.
Su Wanqing had every reason to believe that Xiao Chen's decision to give up a Mystic-Level Magic stemmed from a much deeper cause.
As one of the buyers, it wasn't hard for her to guess that those missing Points Jade Tokens had probably been exchanged for Spirit Stones.
'Techniques, wealth, companions, and location. Under what circumstances would someone give up techniques for wealth?'
'There can be only one truth!'
'Assuming Xiao Chen hasn't suddenly become a fool, it can only mean one thing: he looks down on Mystic-Level Magic!'
Su Wanqing murmured to herself, quickly working through the basic logic.
And so she reached a conclusion: "He has better Magic!"
In a way, Su Wanqing's guess was correct. Xiao Chen had indeed chosen a Magic that was better for himself.
However, the direction of her guess was slightly off.
CLAP!
Su Wanqing clapped her hands together. "That explains everything."
She recalled her shock when examining the pangolin's wound after Xiao Chen had left: "No wonder he could pierce straight through a Spirit Beast. So he was using an Earth-Level Magic."
At the time, she couldn't figure out when the Fireball Technique had become so powerful. Now, it all added up.
Then she thought about the news of Xiao Chen being stuck at the first level of Qi Refining for three years, only to suddenly break through and reach the fifth level through a series of 'epiphanies'.
Su Wanqing was certain. "The so-called 'epiphanies' are just a facade. He must have had some kind of fortuitous encounter!"
There were many such legends in the Cultivation Realm. A young man would accidentally obtain a legacy left by a powerful senior, become a completely different person, and soar to the heavens, becoming a trailblazer of his era.
Following this line of thought, she made a prediction: 'If it really is some powerful legacy, Xiao Chen's cultivation speed will continue to be very fast.'
It wouldn't be hard to verify this guess.
Su Wanqing once again summoned a clansman. "Help me keep an eye on a disciple from the Second Division named Xiao Chen. Report any news to me immediately."
The clansman was a little confused as to why his Miss would suddenly care so much about a male cultivator. "Miss, he's just a fifth-level Qi Refining Cultivator. Is there something special about him?"
"No, no, no. He's only temporarily at the fifth level of Qi Refining."
Su Wanqing shook her head and held up one finger. "One month. Just watch him for one month. I have a feeling that Xiao Chen will break through to the sixth level of Qi Refining within a month."
Hearing this, the clansman's eyes widened in surprise. "Yes, Miss. I'll go watch him right away."
「Three days later.」
Most of the disciples still had to travel back to the Li Huo Sect on foot.
The reason given by the Sect this time was that one must see things through to the end. Since they had walked there, they had to walk back.
This was also a form of training, and they should cherish such an opportunity for growth.
Xiao Chen listened to Elder Jiang's righteous speech and was half-convinced.
But then he saw the Inner Sect Disciples, who had come to set up stalls, boarding the returning Flying Boat.
This was clearly discriminatory treatment. They were clearly being treated like outsiders. 'No wonder they call us Outer Disciples.'
「The second day after their return.」
Steward Chen organized an extra meeting specifically to share and summarize the experiences from the trial. "If anyone has questions, feel free to ask."
Junior Brother Li shot to his feet. "Steward, I'd like to ask Junior Brother Xiao to explain how he managed to kill so many sixth-level Spirit Beasts."
"As far as I know, Junior Brother Xiao is only at the fifth level of Qi Refining, yet he turned in several Jade Tokens from sixth-level Spirit Beasts."
After the top ten were announced, some disciples immediately suspected that Xiao Chen had cheated.
This Junior Brother Li was one of them.
He stared at Xiao Chen, his eyes full of accusation.
Steward Chen turned and called on him directly. "Xiao Chen, why don't you share with us how you managed to strive for the top during this trial, killing numerous sixth-level Spirit Beasts while only at the fifth level of Qi Refining?"
Hearing this question, his own curiosity was piqued.
"First, a correction. You should be calling me Senior Brother now."
Xiao Chen stood up. He first directed the aura of his sixth-level Qi Refining cultivation at Junior Brother Li, then calmly responded, "Steward Chen, I just fought them head-on."
"You broke through! When?"
Steward Chen was startled. He immediately released his Divine Sense to inspect him closely and discovered that the Xiao Chen before him was now a genuine sixth-level Qi Refining cultivator.
"Steward Chen, I was just lucky enough to break through during the trial."
Xiao Chen's answer was cleverly worded.
Although he had actually broken through after passing through the mountain range, the trial as a whole had not yet ended, so it wasn't wrong to say it was during the trial.
When Steward Chen heard this, he automatically interpreted it as Xiao Chen choosing to break through in the middle of crossing the mountain range.
His face immediately darkened. "Nonsense! Have I not told you to find a safe place when breaking through?"
Then he glanced at the unharmed Xiao Chen, and his expression softened slightly, but he still frowned. "It's a good thing that you successfully broke through, of course, but you can't make a habit of this."
"You didn't run into danger this time, but can you guarantee you'll be so lucky next time? What have I taught you? Go back and copy the Sect's disciple code of conduct. Turn it in to me the day after tomorrow."
After habitually finishing his lecture, Steward Chen belatedly realized something. He stood there, staring blankly at Xiao Chen for a good while.
The disciples below had already started whispering amongst themselves.
It was too outrageous!
Normally, after a cultivator enters the Outer Sect, reaching the sixth level of Qi Refining within three years was already considered the mark of a fast-cultivating, promising disciple.
Xiao Chen, at most, had only been here for half a year. How did he suddenly reach the sixth level of Qi Refining?
Was this even reasonable?
'Don't tell me he had another epiphany?'
Steward Chen had the same question. "Don't tell me you had another epiphany?"
"Mhm," Xiao Chen said with a calm expression, nodding placidly. "While fighting Spirit Beasts in the mountains, I suddenly had some new insights."
This wasn't exactly a lie. He had truly felt the power of the Augment. 'One-shotting Spirit Beasts with a single fireball, just farming Spirit Stones—it's an incredible feeling!'
'Insights gained from combat are still insights, after all.'
However, after he gave his answer, it once again caused an uproar.
The disciples looked at each other in disbelief.
Most people don't even have one epiphany in their entire lives. How could someone have three in one year?
Is that even normal?
Is there any justice in this world?
We're all cultivating painstakingly, but you just break through whenever you feel like it. What does that make all our hard work?
Steward Chen was also dumbfounded, finding it hard to believe.
But this business of epiphanies... there really wasn't any common rule or standard for it. No one had ever stipulated that you couldn't have more than two epiphanies in a year.
Besides, it was the only way things made sense.
Xiao Chen had a low-grade Wood Spirit Root and was practicing a Yellow-Level Cultivation Technique. If it weren't for a real epiphany, how could he have advanced so quickly?
Only an epiphany could explain such a rapid breakthrough.
Thinking of this, the way Steward Chen looked at Xiao Chen completely changed.
He stood up and walked directly over to Xiao Chen's side.