The room immediately quieted, Xu Li softly said: “There is!”

“Really? Who are they? Tell me!” Xu Ziyan asked in wonder.

“I truly believe that you live in a very far village, Ziyan. You don’t even know the continent’s most famous people! Your village is so very isolated.” Xu Li looked at Xu Ziyan in amazement. She lightly sighed and said: “If your uncle didn’t discover you, a talent would have been wasted.”

Xu Ziyan was so flattered that she was embarra.s.sed to the point of turning red. She softly said: “Stop mocking me, Xu Li. I know so little. Quickly tell me who they are.”

Xu Li’s face suddenly turned serious. She solemnly said to Xu Ziyan: “Ziyan, in the future, you definitely won’t be confined to this little place, you will rise to the unfathomable heights! At that time, please don’t forget  us.”

“She’s right! Ziyan, don’t forget us.” The other people also said to Xu Ziyan with serious expressions on their faces. Their eyes shone with hope.

Xu Ziyan was suddenly rendered helpless by them. However, she instantly understood their meaning. They all wished in the future, once she had become extremely strong, for her to take care of them a little, since for them, they have already taken 12 years to reach the fifth layer of the Houtian realm and wouldn’t have some large improvements considering the slow rate of their cultivation progress. Even if Xu Ziyan gave them pills, they still wouldn’t be an existence at the pinnacle. And so, their thinking was very normal in such a situation.

Xu Ziyan adjusted her feelings. She knew that she couldn’t be modest lest she be misunderstood. She gave a small smile: “If I really become someone who reaches those heights, Ziyan* definitely won’t forget the good-hearted feelings of everyone.”

“Good!” Everyone was overjoyed and had big smiles on their faces.

After they finished their laughter, Xu Li softly said: “This continent is very big. Our Xu Clan is the northern area of the continent. I don’t have a lot of knowledge about the geography. I only know that that the northern area has four big clans. There is the Ju Que City’s Han Clan, the Cang Lang City’s Zhou Clan, Nan Lin City’s Yang Clan and Zhong Du City’s Xu Clan.

“It is said that Cang Lang City’s Zhou Clan has a prodigy called Zhou Hao. He is the son of Zhou Clan’s current Patriarch. He began cultivating when he was three. At five, he broke into the fifth level of the Houtian realm. He entered the Xiantian realm at seven. He is currently eighteen, yet he already has a Qi Refining layer fifth level cultivation base.

“Nan Lin City’s Yang Clan also has a prodigy. She is called Yang Linglong and is the daughter of Yang Clan’s current Patriarch. The course of her cultivation progress is nearly is same as Xu Hao. She also is eighteen this year, and is also at the fifth level of the Qi Refining layer.

“As for Ju Que City’s Han Clan, they don’t have any such prodigies. But it is said that Han Clan’s most talented disciple is called Han Cheng. He is seventeen, but he only has a cultivation base at the second level of the Qi Refining layer. Our Xu Clan’s most talented person is the Patriarch’s ninth di’s son, who is called Xu Tianlang. It is said that he has already broken through to the third level of the Qi Refining layer.”

“So then strongest are Zhou Hao and Yang Linglong?” Xu Ziyan quietly asked. When she heard Xu Li, she couldn’t help but feel a little disappointed. She was only fifteen yet after cultivating for only a couple months, she already reached the second level of the Qi Refining layer.

When her talisman skill level reached the third degree, she could make formations. At that time, she could make an ‘Congregating Spirit’ formation. With the help of both the pills and the formation, she could advance rapidly. Even though she started cultivating far later than anyone else, she was sure that by the time she was eighteen, she wouldn’t be worse than either Yang Linglong or Zhou Hao. Also, as more time pa.s.sed, she would definitely surpa.s.s them and probably even leave them far back in the dust.

“No!” Xu Li shook her head: “This is only the northern area of the continent. I don’t know the other areas. Plus, these are only the elites within the earthly clans. As for the disciples within the sects, it not something that people like us know. But what I do know is that the elites in a sect are definitely better than the earthly clan elites by a wide margin. If Yang Linglong or Zhou Hao entered a clan, not even a big clan, just a small clan, they might not even be considered in the middle.”

“Really? How do you know?”

“Xu Ling knows more about this subject than me. Ask Xu Ling.” Xu Li looked at Xu Ling.

Xu Ling didn’t decline and said: “My distant cousin was selected to join a small sect called Scarlet Sun five years ago. When he entered, he was already at the first level of the Qi Refining layer. Last year, when he came back he told me that in the Scarlet Sun Sect,  a cultivation base at the first level of the Qi Refining layer is the lowest requirement. For people with a cultivation base similar of that to Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao, in the Scarlet Sun Sect, they couldn’t even be compared to an elite!”

Xu Ling paused for effect, and then continued: “According to my cousin, the spiritual energy in a sect is far denser than in the earthly clans. Not only that, but they also give pills. When my cousin came back last year, he was already in the third level of the Qi Refining layer.

Xu Ling’s eyes shone with jealousy. The other people also were filled with such expressions. Even Xu Ziyan felt moved by the rewards of being in a clan. However Xu Ziyan confusedly asked: “If sects are so good, then why didn’t Yang Linglong or Xu Hao enter a sect? Since your cousin could enter with the cultivation base at the first level of the Qi Refining layer, then Yang Linglong and Xu Hao should have no problems entering one.”

“They want to enter an even better sect. If they can enter some big sect, then small sects could hardly compare in the quality of the cultivation environment.” Xu Dezhi enviously said: “After two years, the Hua Yang Sect and the Tai Xuan Sect will be selecting disciples to enter the clan. I think that Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao are definitely waiting until then to enter one of the two sects, and so that is why they didn’t enter a small sect.

“Oh…” Xu Ziyan understood and then raised her eyebrows: “Looks like Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao’s ambitions are not small! They are still prodigies, so their thinking is not the same!”

“Che!  They’re not that special!” Xu Li snorted. “Apparently, Zhou Hao only reached his cultivation level through pills, although for Yang Linglong her talent is said to be pretty good.”

“What is bad with eating pills?” Xu Ziyan asked. When she saw their expressions when they mentioned Zhou Hao, she couldn’t help but feel a little worried.

Xu Tieniu said: “Completely using pill to raise cultivation base, causes the foundations to be unstable. It will be hard to have many more breakthroughs in the future. Not only that, but their battle strength will the weaker than someone at the same cultivation level.”

Xu Ziyan froze in shock: ‘That shouldn’t be right! In the ‘Dan Fu Zong’ it says that after one reaches the ninth level of the Qi Refining layer, as long as they eat pills and also eat the Consolidating Pill, it can solve the problem of having an unstable foundation. Why did Xu Tieniu say that the foundation would be unstable and that the battle strength would be weaker? Could it be that the ‘Dan Fu Zong’ is written wrong?’

Xu Ziyan hesitated, but then decided that this matter was extremely important and so she said: “I once heard that if you eat the Consolidating Pill, all those problems wouldn’t occur.”

“Consolidating Pill?” Everyone yelled in shocked. They looked at Xu Ziyan in disbelief. Xu Ziyan was being stared at until her back felt numb. She weakly said: “What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?”

“Ziyan, the Consolidating Pill is already an item that can be considered a myth. The recipe was long lost. If you had the Consolidating Pill, there obviously won’t be a problem. But that is only a dream!” Xu Li shook her head.

‘A lost alchemy recipe?’ Xu Ziyan froze: ‘But my inheritance, the ‘Dan Fu Zong’ has it! Then that means eating pills for me, is no problem. Once I reach the ninth level of the Qi Refining layer, I’ll make myself a Consolidating Pill. Who knew that eating pills had negative effects? That scared me.”

“However, if they can eat pills then that can also be considered a strength. Even if we wanted to eat some, we don’t even have the opportunity to.” Xu Ling depressedly said.

Everyone all felt the same. Xu Dezhi bitterly smiled and said: “If we don’t eat pills, then we probably won’t reach the Xiantian realm in our whole lifetime! As long as eating pills will allow me to reach Xiantian, even if my foundation is unstable, I would be willing to do so.”

“Right. We are all children of poor families and we don’t have good talent. We’ll probably stay in the Outer Court our whole lives. As for you, Ziyan, if you are able to get a large amount of pills in the future, you should be careful.”

“Me? Why would I have large amounts of pills? Xu Ziyan smiled bitterly to cover up her lie.

“Haha. After two years, when you have been chosen by the Tai Xuan Sect or the Hua Yang Sect, won’t you have a large amount of pills?”

“Please. I’m only at the sixth level of the Houtian layer right now. Don’t joke with me! Come on, let’s drink!”

“Alright, let’s drink!”

Everyone raised their wine cups, knocked them together and then finished drinking the wine in unison. However, after such a topic, everybody’s mood wasn’t that good and the atmosphere felt a little oppressive. None of them had the mood to chat, and so, they paid the bill and left.

These few days, the snow was falling nonstop. The snow on the ground was very thick. The cold wind blew over snowflakes which landed on their necks. The five walked in the snow towards the Outer Court. Xu Ziyan saw in the far distance, a familiar figure. She squinted her eyes and then immediately recognized the person as the one she had met the first day she came to Zhong Du City when she b.u.mped into him. She remembered Xu Ximei called him ‘Lin gege‘.

When the two sides came closer, ‘Lin gege’ also saw the five. The other four, when they saw ‘Lin gege’, they hurriedly bowed and said: “This one greets Senior Brother Xu Lin.”

Xu Lin lightly nodded his head. When he saw Xu Ziyan he frowned slightly and then suddenly seemed to recognize her. He blurted out: “It’s you!”

Glossary:

gege – elder brother. Normally used by a young female or male. A more mature form is ‘ge’.

di – younger brother

Characters:

Xu Ziyan – the female MC | Currently at the second level of the Qi Refining layer

Xu Tieniu, Xu Ling, and Xu Dezhi – three of the 15-year-old males that were in Xu Ziyan’s cla.s.s | All at the fifth level of the Houtian realm

Xu Li – the 15-year-old female that was in Xu Ziyan’s cla.s.s | Currently at the fifth level of the Houtian realm.

Xu Lin – the youth that Xu Ziyan b.u.mped into on her first day in Zhong Du City

Other Information: