"What, this brat is about to break through?"
The expressions of the sect elders and inner disciples of the Misty Sect were varied, their hearts filled with complex emotions.
This Zhang Ergou had given them too many shocks.
First, he led a thousand inner disciples to kill thousands of demonic beasts in just a few days.
Then, he used the black stones on this mountain to burn the demonic beasts, making them pay a heavy price.
Now, he had single-handedly slain dozens of Golden Core stage demonic beasts.
This combat prowess made other gifted disciples feel inferior.
And now, seeing Zhang Ergou about to break through in the midst of battle, everyone's heart was incredibly complex.
Even without this breakthrough, he was already a being that most disciples looked up to. Now, with another breakthrough, his cultivation would directly reach the late Golden Core stage.
Such a speed of advancement was unprecedented.
In just over a year, Zhang Ergou had gone from the early Golden Core stage to the late Golden Core stage. The mere thought of it was enough to shock people to death.
Some even worried that if Zhang Ergou broke through too quickly, his foundation might be unstable, which could lead to a fatal blow to his future cultivation.
"No, this kid seems to have had some fortunate encounter. He's been deliberately suppressing his cultivation. If he hadn't, he might have broken through to the late Golden Core stage long ago."
Elder Tiandao explained to the crowd, but he did not mention Zhang Ergou's gains in the secret realm.
Instead, he changed his phrasing.
"He just couldn't suppress it any longer, so it was a natural breakthrough, like water overflowing when the basin is full."
Upon hearing this, Chunyang Sanren, Chiyu, Chiling, and the others also felt relieved.
If breaking through too quickly would make Zhang Ergou's future cultivation path more difficult, they would rather interrupt his breakthrough right then.
However, this breakthrough of Zhang Ergou's was different from how others behaved.
It was common knowledge that during a breakthrough, any disturbance was most feared, and cultivators would choose a place with dense spiritual energy to meditate.
But Zhang Ergou seemed to have no awareness of this. Holding his spear, he was still fighting fiercely with the demonic beasts, showing no signs of stopping due to the changes in his body.
On the contrary, the speed at which he wielded his spear became faster and faster, as if the heavy iron spear weighed nothing in his hands.
With every strike, Zhang Ergou inflicted a heavy price on the demonic beasts opposite him.
His movements also became increasingly swift, to the point where the elders could barely see him clearly.
Clearly, his speed had reached its limit, and there was no sign of him stopping. It seemed that in this breakthrough, he intended to shatter his own physical limits.
The spiritual energy of heaven and earth swirled around Zhang Ergou. Wherever Zhang Ergou moved east, it followed; wherever he moved west, it also followed.
For a time, the entire mountain valley was engulfed in a spiritual energy storm.
...
About two hours later, the spiritual energy of heaven and earth slowly dissipated, and Zhang Ergou's figure emerged from within.
At this moment, he appeared even more restrained, his newly advanced cultivation not yet outwardly displayed.
"Haha, this brat truly surprises me. He's broken through so quickly."
Elder Tiandao laughed heartily. Although it was said that the prominent bird gets shot, with Zhang Ergou's current strength, he was certainly capable of protecting himself.
He did not hide his affection for Zhang Ergou. Sudansxsw.com
Even if other elders and disciples had intentions and sought trouble with Zhang Ergou, he was not worried.
Instead, Elder Tiandao seemed to have intentionally provoked this situation. He wanted everyone to become jealous of Zhang Ergou.
In that case, Zhang Ergou would undoubtedly face various challenges, and it would be impossible for him to be idle.
Cultivation was never a smooth journey; external stimulation was also essential.
Elder Tiandao had heard some news of Zhang Ergou's fortuitous encounters. He wondered how much of that mysterious inheritance he had managed to digest in this breakthrough.
But Elder Tiandao was certain that there was even more terrifying power hidden within Zhang Ergou.
If it stayed within him for too long, it would not be a good thing for Zhang Ergou.
Instead, helping Zhang Ergou break through quickly and completely transform that power into his own was the true solution.
This was also why Elder Tiandao lavished praise on Zhang Ergou so openly in this setting.
Indeed, after hearing Elder Tiandao's praises, the eyes of the inner disciples who had previously looked at Zhang Ergou with admiration changed.
If their previous complex feelings towards Zhang Ergou were due to him leading them in ambushing and burning large numbers of demonic beasts,
they were even more aware of what it meant to be favored by Elder Tiandao – it meant endless cultivation resources and various profound cultivation methods.
Every inner disciple's gaze towards Zhang Ergou was filled with fervor. If they could defeat Zhang Ergou, perhaps they themselves could catch Elder Tiandao's attention.
At this moment, they had long forgotten Zhang Ergou's outstanding combat abilities. In their eyes, Zhang Ergou was merely a stepping stone upwards.
As Zhang Ergou just emerged from his breakthrough, he noticed that the atmosphere on the scene was somewhat off.
The demonic beasts had already been mostly annihilated. Even if one or two had slipped through, they had escaped human pursuit and fled into the demonic beast forest.
Although the number of demonic beasts attacking this time was large, the several Nascent Soul stage demonic beasts that were supposed to be holding the line had never made a move.
When they saw that the demonic beasts were clearly losing, those several Nascent Soul stage demonic beasts vanished without a trace, which also greatly surprised Elder Tiandao and the others.
Zhang Ergou noticed that the elders' gazes towards him were normal, but the disciples' gazes were somewhat peculiar.
"What are you guys doing? Don't look at me like that. I'm not into that."
Saying this, Zhang Ergou tightened his robes, crossed his arms, as if fearing that the disciples would come up and do something to him.
"Pfft..."
Some of the female disciples blushed instantly, while the elders all wore strange expressions. The male disciples' faces turned purple with suppressed anger.
Clearly, Zhang Ergou's words had angered them considerably.
...
After cleaning up the battlefield, Zhang Ergou made a rough count. The number of demonic beast core-stones obtained this time was indeed substantial.
There were over a thousand of them. The inner disciples were no match for Zhang Ergou when it came to snatching spoils.
By the time others reacted, Zhang Ergou already had over a hundred demonic beast core-stones in his storage ring.
Although the great fire had burned the demonic beasts beyond recognition, the core-stones were the essence of the demonic beasts, not something that ordinary fire could easily refine.
...
"Everyone, although we have made the demonic beasts pay a price this time, we cannot guarantee that they will not counterattack. Chunyang, you will continue to lead the troops to maintain vigilance. Report any situation immediately."
"There is also one more matter to inform you all. The young sect master of the Canglang Sect has come to our sect seeking help. I will select a number of people to reinforce the Canglang Sect. Please be prepared."
After speaking, Elder Tiandao glanced at Zhang Ergou intentionally or unintentionally, leaving him feeling quite perplexed.