Chapter 4596 — Bowing and Scraping
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
It had truly been frightened out of its wits by the Ghost-Eyed Golden Eagle just now. If Wei Zhao had not been strong enough to kill the creature, it and Wei Zhao would be the ones feeding the sea beasts at this very moment—after all, at the enemy's speed, catching up to it would have been effortless. So the spirit bird's only thought now was to fly faster, faster still; only when it was so fast that no flying spirit beast could ever catch it would it truly be safe!
North Island, the Threefold Pavilion.
Ever since Ma Dangfeng, that new king among newcomers, burst onto the scene—and especially after he stood victorious over the assembled prodigies at the inner sect grand tournament—the Threefold Pavilion had been a nonstop topic of conversation. Over tea and after meals, it seemed everyone in the streets and alleys was discussing this unprecedented Nascent Soul newcomer.
And because two new kings, Wei Zhao and Ma Dangfeng, had emerged in succession, even the Azure Cloud Pavilion—long weak and in decline—had suddenly regained its luster, looking very much like a salted fish about to flip itself over.
Yet unexpectedly, the person most in the spotlight of late was not Ma Dangfeng of the Azure Cloud Pavilion, but the long-silent young master of the Skyward Pavilion, Xu Lingchong.
Ever since his return from that disappearance, this Young Master Xu had shed his former arrogance and swagger, becoming far more steady and reserved. And the reason he had become the undisputed center of attention this time was not that he had done anything eye-catching, but that he had successfully taken the position of chief senior brother and steward of the Skyward Pavilion's outer sect.
Of course, the news itself was hardly eye-catching—it could not even really be called news. After all, Xu Lingchong had been contending for that position for a long time and had made every preparation for it; his ambition was plain for all to see. Yet this time it still caused a tremendous stir, because this Young Master Xu had broken through to become a Nascent Soul expert!
You have to understand—when Xu Lingchong first began building momentum for this, his cultivation was only just barely at the grand completion of Foundation Establishment! In less than a year, he had crossed the entire Golden Core stage in one leap and become a Nascent Soul expert. Such a thing was simply appalling!
Young Master Xu had been extraordinarily gifted since childhood—a fact that interested parties had long since spread far and wide. But even so, no one had ever boasted of him to such a terrifying degree. Never mind others refusing to believe it; in truth, even Xu Yuanzheng, his own grandfather, felt dazed and often could not help wondering whether he was dreaming.
To go from grand completion of Foundation Establishment to the Nascent Soul stage—if it were an ordinary cultivator of middling aptitude, a hundred years might not be enough to succeed, and even those so-called elites would need at least eight or ten years. If anyone claimed he could cross the entire Golden Core stage within a year, he would absolutely be taken for a madman.
Yet now the ironclad facts lay before them, and believe it they must, whether they would or not. After their astonishment, the crowd could ultimately express their feelings in only one phrase: extraordinary people do extraordinary things. Young Master Xu was no ordinary genius, so it was hardly worth making a fuss over that he walked no ordinary path...
To hold the position of chief senior brother and steward of the Skyward Pavilion's outer sect with Nascent Soul cultivation—even setting aside Xu Lingchong's own deep background—was utterly beneath him. There was nothing surprising about it at all. But apart from Xu Lingchong's sudden ascent to the Nascent Soul stage, there was one other matter that shocked everyone even more.