Zhang Er Gou felt a surge of bewilderment at being stared at.
Suddenly, two figures appeared in his mind.
Jiang Tian and Jiang Hao, who seemed somewhat similar to the people before him.
What relation could Jiang Xu, the youth in opulent robes called by Li Zhan just now, have with Jiang Tian and the others?
Could it be such a coincidence?
A vague unease settled in Zhang Er Gou's heart.
The gaze the youth comforting Jiang Xu cast upon him made Zhang Er Gou deeply uncomfortable.
"Brother Li, who are they?" Zhang Er Gou had a bad premonition.
"People from the Western Regions' Jiang family. I didn't expect to run into them here. What bad luck."
It seemed Li Zhan held a strong dislike for the Jiang family.
"What, Brother Li, do you have a grudge with them?" Zhang Er Gou asked curiously.
"It's not exactly a grudge, I just can't stand their behavior. They flaunt their influence, relying on their family having disciples in the Misty Sect as inner disciples, and act like tyrants in the Western Regions, extremely overbearing."
Now Zhang Er Gou was certain. These people were indeed related to Jiang Tian and the others.
Though the Misty Sect had tens of thousands of disciples, the Jiangs were likely only Jiang Tian and his brothers.
"What, Li Zhan, aren't you going to test? Have you lost confidence in your cultivation?"
After his elder brother's comfort, Jiang Xu had returned to his former demeanor.
Seeing Zhang Er Gou and Li Zhan hesitate to test, he immediately spoke sarcastically.
He had now broken through to the late stage peak of Golden Core, second only to his elder brother among the younger disciples in the family.
Years ago, due to a moment of carelessness, he had been defeated by Li Zhan.
For a long time afterward, he lived in Li Zhan's shadow.
However, he did not give up. Instead, he cultivated desperately, and broke through to the late stage peak of Golden Core before the age of thirty.
He became the second disciple in the family to be on track to reach the Nascent Soul stage before forty.
This trip to Tree Eye City was also motivated by the treasure owned by the City Lord of Tree Eye City, which could help one break through to the Nascent Soul stage within ten years.
But he hadn't expected to encounter his old enemy here.
Truly, when enemies meet, their eyes burn with hatred.
Jiang Xu would naturally not miss any opportunity to mock Li Zhan.
"Haha, if talking big could kill people, then no one on the Yin Province Continent would need to cultivate."
Li Zhan did not hide his disgust for Jiang Xu at all. His words were immediately met with a burst of laughter.
The young talents around were all eager to watch the show and were not afraid of causing trouble.
Jiang Xu was so choked that his face turned red and his neck bulged.
Jiang Yu saw that his second younger brother was simply too embarrassing, getting provoked to such a state by just a few words.
He quickly pulled Jiang Xu behind him.
"This young brother looks unfamiliar. May I know which family's young master you are?"
Looking at Zhang Er Gou, Jiang Yu was somewhat curious about this young man. Someone who could walk with Li Zhan was no ordinary person.
To ease Jiang Xu's embarrassment, he deliberately changed the subject.
"This is my brother, Zhang Er Gou. It's normal you haven't met him. He's not from the Western Regions."
Before Zhang Er Gou could speak, Li Zhan, being quick-witted, had already sold him out.
"You are Zhang Er Gou?"
The name Zhang Er Gou was thunderous.
Back then, Jiang Tian and Jiang Hao had been bullied by Zhang Er Gou in the Misty Sect.
Naturally, when they returned home for a visit, they told their elder brothers about it.
Moreover, very few people were named Zhang Er Gou, and this young man's age was similar to that of the young man who had bullied his brothers in the Misty Sect.
"What, you've heard of my brother's great name? Is he very famous?"
Li Zhan was bewildered by Jiang Yu's reaction, and Liu Ya Xuan also looked at Zhang Er Gou with curiosity.
Could it be that Zhang Er Gou had some connection with these people who seemed so detestable?
"Famous, hehe, of course he's very famous. Kid, I will settle the score for my brothers."
Jiang Yu knew this was not the place for a fight.
After leaving a threatening remark, he led the group behind him towards the testing jade pillar.
"Hmph, just right. Since Jiang Tian and the others still owe a debt, you brothers can pay it for them."
Zhang Er Gou snorted at the retreating figures.
He was never one to back down from a fight. Among them, only Jiang Yu's cultivation was somewhat decent.
Zhang Er Gou truly did not take the others seriously.
Jiang Yu and the others paused, surprised that Zhang Er Gou alone showed no fear.
However, they said no more and continued forward.
"Brother Er Gou, what's going on? Do you have a feud with the Jiang family?"
Now it was Li Zhan's turn to be curious. How could the Jiang family be involved with Zhang Er Gou?
Zhang Er Gou gave a wry smile and briefly recounted his experiences in the sect to Li Zhan.
"Brother Er Gou, didn't you say you were from the Cang Lang Sect?"
Liu Ya Xuan stared with her bright, round eyes, looking at Zhang Er Gou with utter innocence.
Zhang Er Gou felt awkward. He had casually told a lie back then.
He hadn't expected Liu Ya Xuan to remember it.
Now that it was exposed in front of them, he naturally felt a little embarrassed.
"So we have the same enemy. The enemy of my enemy is my friend, haha, Brother Er Gou, we truly are fated."
Li Zhan burst into laughter, and their relationship became closer due to the Jiang family brothers.
Through Li Zhan's introduction, Zhang Er Gou finally understood how to use the testing jade pillar.
The testing method was simple: just place your hand on it and inject your spiritual energy.
When the spiritual energy reached a certain level, the corresponding cultivation light pillar would illuminate.
By the time Zhang Er Gou and Li Zhan reached the testing jade pillar,
Jiang Yu and the others who came later had already finished testing but had not left.
Instead, they stood aside, waiting, likely intending to observe the cultivation levels of Zhang Er Gou and Li Zhan.
Li Zhan went up to test first.
After inserting his jade token into the slot, Li Zhan placed his hand on the jade pillar.
A dazzling light erupted.
"Li Zhan, late stage Golden Core strength."
The voice of the elder from the City Lord's mansion monitoring the test rang out, and he gave Li Zhan an appreciative glance.
This was because Li Zhan, at the age of twenty-six, had reached the late stage of Golden Core cultivation.
He was the youngest person to achieve late stage Golden Core so far.
However, what surprised the elder even more was the light that illuminated when Zhang Er Gou placed his hand on the testing jade pillar.
"Zhang Er Gou, peak late stage Golden Core strength, age twenty-four."
The voice of the monitoring elder from the City Lord's mansion trembled slightly.
Peak late stage Golden Core at the age of twenty-four was also rare on the Yin Province Continent.
His gaze towards Zhang Er Gou carried a hint of goodwill.
Such a young talent, if he could join the City Lord's mansion, Tree Eye City would surely reach new heights in the future.
As for Zhang Er Gou's test results, Jiang Yu and the others were also astonished.
They had heard that Zhang Er Gou's cultivation was less than Golden Core three years ago.
In just three years, his cultivation had reached the peak late stage of Golden Core.
Jiang Tian had not shared such important information with them.
Looking at Zhang Er Gou's figure, Jiang Yu's brows furrowed deeply.
He had a feeling that Zhang Er Gou was hiding his true strength.