Chapter 463: Be Impressed

It was no wonder the two elders guarding this place were furious.

Originally, disciples from the Nine Sects had all been making progress on the front lines. They could acquire desired resources through their own efforts. This allowed them to enhance their strength and guard the front lines even more diligently. This created a virtuous cycle.

However, many disciples from the Heavenly Secret Pavilion disregarded the rules, secretly intervening to snatch Beast Kings. It would have been acceptable if they had only dealt with Beast Kings at Core Formation Layer Four and above, those that were difficult for the Nine Sects disciples to defeat. Instead, they took down everything, regardless of size! Even those at Core Formation Layer One were snatched without hesitation. They left no opportunities whatsoever for the Nine Sects disciples.

What was worse, when Nine Sects disciples were in the midst of slaying a Beast King, Heavenly Secret Pavilion disciples would emerge, injure them, and steal the demonic cores! Their outrageous actions were infuriating! Since they were all disciples of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion, the two elders dared not retaliate against them. Whenever they were caught, they could only be verbally admonished and told to retreat. Yet, they showed no remorse and only intensified their misconduct.

The recent breach in the defense line occurred because several Heavenly Secret Pavilion disciples injured Nine Sects disciples in an attempt to claim credit. Consequently, they failed to stop all the Ape Beast Kings themselves. This led to several of them breaking through the defenses.

And if that wasn't enough, at least those Heavenly Secret Pavilion disciples had the decency to wear masks and act covertly. However, the three before them were quite the opposite. They openly revealed themselves! This was simply preposterous!

But, when Li Qingfeng and Lu Xiunian led a furious group of disciples to confront them, they all froze upon seeing the trio.

"Xia Chaoge?"

"Liang Feiyan?"

"And... Jiang Fan?"

Li Qingfeng's angry expression transformed into surprise: "Oh! Jiang Fan, is that really you three? You dispatched those Beast Kings so quickly, we thought you were disciples of the Heavenly Secret Pavilion!"

It was no surprise they had mistaken the trio for Heavenly Secret Pavilion disciples. The six Ape Beast Kings had been slain in mere moments. This was something no ordinary Nine Sects disciple could achieve. Only upon closer inspection did they realize. The attackers included Xia Chaoge, the Nine Sects' foremost prodigy, and Liang Feiyan, who was ranked among the top five.

Lu Xiunian scrutinized her, asking, "Chaoge, what is your current cultivation realm?"

Xia Chaoge replied, "Not long ago, I broke through to Core Formation Layer Five."

"What?"

Li Qingfeng's expression shifted to one of astonishment, tinged with deep envy. The Tai Shang Sect must have been incredibly blessed to have such an exceptional disciple. The disciples behind him also showed profound reverence. She was indeed the foremost prodigy, Xia Chaoge. Forever a figure to be admired from afar. While they were still striving to reach Core Formation Layer Two, Xia Chaoge had already surged ahead, ascending to Core Formation Layer Five! The disparity between people was simply greater than that between humans and dogs!

Lu Xiunian's face lit up with excitement, and he clapped his hands, laughing heartily, "Excellent, excellent! Chaoge, you are indeed the greatest pride of our Tai Shang Sect! So, all the Beast Kings here were killed by you?"

Everyone was relieved. No wonder the six Beast Kings were dispatched so swiftly. With a Core Formation Layer Five powerhouse like Xia Chaoge present, everything made perfect sense.

To their surprise, Xia Chaoge sighed softly, "I only killed two of them. I wasn't the one who slew the most."

With Xia Chaoge's formidable strength, could someone possibly outshine her? Everyone's gaze naturally turned to Liang Feiyan. Only Liang Feiyan possessed the capability to contend with Xia Chaoge.

Lu Xiunian paused, then awkwardly praised, "The chief disciple of the Myriad Sword Sect truly lives up to his reputation. To think he could actually surpass our Xia Chaoge's achievements. Your master will undoubtedly be proud when he learns of this."

The disciples all displayed profound awe. As expected of the Myriad Sword Sect, renowned for its unparalleled offensive power. To think they could even overshadow Xia Chaoge's brilliance. It was truly extraordinary.

Li Qingfeng, filled with envy, sighed faintly, "Excellent disciples always seem to belong to other sects!" As an elder of the Nine Sects, seeing the exceptionally brilliant and outstanding disciples of other sects, Li Qingfeng felt a deep sense of dissatisfaction. Although Jiang Fan had also recently shown remarkable talent, he simply couldn't be compared to Xia Chaoge or Liang Feiyan.

He patted Jiang Fan's shoulder and said, "Lad, you truly need to strive harder. Look to Liang Feiyan as an example and diligently strive to catch up. Don't let your master down, and don't let the Qingyun Sect down." He didn't mention Xia Chaoge at all. This was because catching up to Xia Chaoge was simply too unrealistic. If Jiang Fan could achieve Liang Feiyan's level in this lifetime, the Qingyun Sect would finally be able to hold its head high and gain recognition among the Nine Sects. They dared not even dream of someone comparable to Xia Chaoge. Such a person was beyond their wildest dreams.

The others, hearing this, felt nothing out of the ordinary. It was merely a standard word of encouragement. But to Liang Feiyan's ears, it carried a very different meaning. He quickly cupped his hands and gave a wry smile, "Senior Li, you're truly flattering me too much. I'm not qualified to be Junior Brother Jiang's role model." It would be more accurate to say Jiang Fan was his role model. How could it possibly be his place to serve as Jiang Fan's example? If Jiang Fan were to truly reach his level, there was only one way: Jiang Fan would have to cripple his own cultivation.

Li Qingfeng nodded in approval, "You are quite humble. Given your performance today, no praise is too extravagant."

Liang Feiyan dared not let them continue to misunderstand. He repeatedly cupped his hands and said, "Senior Li, Senior Lu, junior brothers, and junior sisters, I am truly ashamed. I only killed one Beast King. The other three were all slain by Junior Brother Jiang. I should be learning from him instead."

Uh—

The dozen or so individuals present were utterly dumbfounded.

Lu Xiunian paused, "Are you saying... the one who outshone our Chaoge is this young Jiang Fan?"

Li Qingfeng was also somewhat dazed, asking, "Was Jiang Fan simply lucky?" No matter how they considered it, it seemed impossible for Jiang Fan to have surpassed Xia Chaoge.

At that moment, Xia Chaoge spoke up, "The three of us engaged in a fair competition, to see who could slay the most. Junior Uncle Jiang proved to be more skilled, and both Senior Brother Liang and I are convinced of our defeat."

The crowd fell silent again for a moment. Pairs of eyes turned towards Jiang Fan with strange expressions. In a fair competition, Jiang Fan could overshadow Xia Chaoge?

Liang Feiyan laughed heartily, "It seems you all have a profound misunderstanding regarding Junior Brother Jiang's true strength. At the very least, I am no match for Junior Brother Jiang!"

Everyone was shocked. Liang Feiyan, a renowned prodigy of their generation, actually admitted he was inferior to Jiang Fan?

Li Qingfeng's beard trembled as he asked in disbelief, "Ji-Jiang Fan, is this true?" For the Qingyun Sect to have a disciple like Liang Feiyan would be a dream come true, making them wake up laughing. Yet now he was being told that the Qingyun Sect possessed a disciple even more formidable than Liang Feiyan.

Jiang Fan was taken aback and let out a chuckle, "Senior Brother Liang and I have never actually fought. It's difficult to draw conclusions about who would win or lose."

Liang Feiyan rolled his eyes: "Junior Brother Jiang, please don't be so modest! With your power, you could take on several of me at once. In fact, I doubt even Junior Sister Xia could reliably defeat you."

While it was true that Xia Chaoge had broken through to Core Formation Layer Five, Jiang Fan had previously used a terrifying secret technique to bizarrely kill a Core Formation Layer Five python demon in a single strike. If the two were to clash, the outcome would genuinely be uncertain.

Xia Chaoge watched Jiang Fan, who looked visibly uncomfortable surrounded by the group, and subtly pursed her lips. Even Junior Uncle gets embarrassed sometimes, she thought. She secretly chuckled, then added fuel to the fire, "Senior Brother Liang's assessment is too conservative. If we were merely sparring, Junior Uncle Jiang and I might be equally matched. But in a true battle to the death, I would undoubtedly be defeated."

"What?"

Every single person present, was utterly stunned at that moment!