Wang Teng followed closely, his aura becoming ethereal.
Then came Lin Yue Ru, who closed her eyes as if in realization.
Xiao Qing Yu and Lu Xiao Yu followed suit, their auras also shifting.
...
Seeing that several of them had gained insight, Zhang Er Gou smiled with satisfaction and fell silent.
They had indeed not disappointed him, and his efforts had not been in vain.
The changes occurring here naturally drew the attention of the elders, especially the Nascent Soul stage elders led by Elder Tian Dao.
Almost instantly, he appeared before them.
With a wave of his hand, Elder Tian Dao erected several formations, isolating Lin Yi Chen and the others.
He then waved his hand again, setting up a larger formation before approaching Zhang Er Gou.
"What's going on with these youngsters?"
After Elder Tian Dao finished, the other elders reacted and also gathered around.
Zhang Er Gou had not expected the commotion to attract so much attention.
However, since they were all his elders, he remained unperturbed.
"Well, these fellows have suddenly figured things out," Zhang Er Gou said casually.
He naturally wouldn't reveal that Lin Yue Ru and the others had gained insight from his words.
Even if he did, he doubted these elders would believe him.
So, he simply offered a vague explanation.
"Figured things out?" Elder Tian Dao frowned, then quickly relaxed.
With his cultivation, he quickly understood what Zhang Er Gou meant by "figured things out."
Seeing the changes in the youngsters, he was naturally pleased.
This might lead to unexpected gains for the Misty Sect in the upcoming competition.
After all, Lin Yi Chen and the others were participating in the Foundation Establishment stage competition.
Elder Tian Dao said nothing further, merely giving Zhang Er Gou a deep look, which made Zhang Er Gou feel uneasy.
Although Elder Tian Dao outwardly appeared to be at the Nascent Soul stage, Zhang Er Gou suspected there was more to it.
He had noticed that the other Nascent Soul elders had only arrived after Elder Tian Dao had finished setting up the formations.
...
The situation at the Misty Sect's viewing platform quickly caught the attention of other sects.
"Go see what's happening," Liu Xun commanded, scanning the area. The presence of Nascent Soul cultivators at the Misty Sect meant it would be disrespectful to probe with divine sense.
He dispatched a trusted subordinate to investigate the events at the Misty Sect.
Someone was setting up multiple formations.
...
Other minor sects also sent disciples to investigate.
Meanwhile, at the Misty Sect, the changes unfolding were exceeding Zhang Er Gou's expectations.
Lin Yi Chen, Lin Yue Ru, Xiao Qing Yu, Wang Teng, and Lu Xiao Yu had all closed their eyes.
They had begun meditating.
Their auras were fluctuating more and more intensely, clear signs of an impending breakthrough.
Zhang Er Gou was astonished that his words could have such a profound effect.
He had only intended to offer them some guidance, and now they were on the verge of breaking through.
Zhang Er Gou was dumbfounded.
"Er Gou, what's happening with your friends?"
Chi Yu approached Zhang Er Gou, her brow furrowed as she asked.
"They might be breaking through to the Golden Core stage!" Zhang Er Gou replied truthfully, still somewhat bewildered.
"What, breakthrough to Golden Core, and all at once? What have they encountered?"
Chi Yu's brow was almost completely knitted together. This was the first time she had encountered such a bizarre situation.
Let alone her, even a powerful cultivator like Elder Tian Dao had never witnessed anything like this before.
If not for his extensive experience and decisive action, the simultaneous breakthroughs of these youngsters might have interfered with each other.
Wasting a valuable opportunity.
"I'm telling you, I just simply guided them a bit. Master, do you believe me?"
Zhang Er Gou blinked, uttering words he himself found hard to believe.
"I believe your ghost!" Chi Yu rolled her eyes, dismissing Zhang Er Gou's statement as a joke.
Unbeknownst to her, Zhang Er Gou was speaking the truth.
Their conversation, not being intentionally hushed, was clearly heard by Elder Tian Dao.
Upon hearing this, Elder Tian Dao once again gave Zhang Er Gou a deep look, as if trying to see through him.
However, after two attempts, Zhang Er Gou appeared perfectly ordinary, with no distinguishing features.
"Could this brat be hiding something that I cannot see through?" Elder Tian Dao mused.
Compared to the simultaneous breakthroughs of Lin Yi Chen and the others, he was far more intrigued by Zhang Er Gou.
His two fruitless investigations had not diminished his interest; rather, they had piqued it further.
He hadn't noticed it before; this brat was hiding so much...
This was Elder Tian Dao's assessment of Zhang Er Gou. He was convinced that Zhang Er Gou was concealing something from everyone.
...
The situation at the Misty Sect attracted even more attention.
This was no longer a mere subtle change in Lin Yi Chen and the others; the very heavens and earth were beginning to react to their meditation.
Centered around Lin Yi Chen and the group, spiritual energy began to surge towards them.
The speed and concentration of the converging spiritual energy, due to five people breaking through simultaneously, even surpassed that of some Nascent Soul stage breakthroughs.
...
"Sect Master, someone at the Misty Sect is breaking through," the subordinate who had gone to investigate reported back to Liu Xun.
"Nonsense, I'm not blind!" Liu Xun blurted out, his face darkening.
The Misty Sect already had Zhang Er Gou to deal with, and now another breakthrough meant that the Flowing Sea Sect might not have an advantage in this competition.
"Where is Cai Chao?"
Thinking of Zhang Er Gou, Liu Xun suddenly remembered Cai Chao, whom he had dispatched. More than three days had passed, and there had been no report from Cai Chao regarding Zhang Er Gou.
"Your subordinate does not know." The subordinate replied truthfully.
"Useless! Who is breaking through at the Misty Sect? Judging by the commotion, it doesn't seem like a Golden Core breakthrough. Could someone in the Misty Sect be reaching the Nascent Soul stage?"
Liu Xun cursed, then pressed further.
Although he could see that the celestial phenomenon was caused by a breakthrough, the scale of it was immense.
It was clearly beyond what a normal Golden Core or Foundation Establishment cultivator's breakthrough would entail.
"Sect Master, the people breaking through at the Misty Sect... there are... there are five of them. It seems like five Foundation Establishment youngsters are breaking through to the Golden Core stage..."
The subordinate stammered, overwhelmed by the pressure from Liu Xun. Su Dan Novel Network
"What did you say? Five people breaking through to the Golden Core stage simultaneously!"
Liu Xun's eyes widened in disbelief at what he had heard.