"Elders, seniors, this junior believes that one of the spots for the Five Mountains Temple should be mine."
Seeing Elder Honggu mention him, Bai Zichen strode forward two steps from below the dais, his demeanor open and confident.
'Me, back down and withdraw voluntarily? How is that possible!'
The Qingfeng Sect had already established the rule that the Inheritance Stele was only accessible once every ten years. There wouldn't be a next time for me; by then, I'd be too old.
One wrong move, and the whole game is lost.
From now on, in all future clan opportunities and resource distributions, I would be suppressed by the siblings, Bai Ling and Bai Wei.
'With the Bai Family's resources, they absolutely cannot support raising three Foundation Establishment Seeds in one generation. When that time comes, I'll be the one who's abandoned!'
Of course, it's possible to just lie low, cultivate discreetly, and develop cautiously. But if I don't fight for anything, if I just yield at every turn, I'd lose the true heart of a cultivator—to advance bravely and fight for my destiny against the heavens. How then could I walk the path of the Great Dao?
"I have already reached the Qi Refining Fourth Layer of cultivation."
Bai Zichen said calmly, his Magical Power surging from his body, shocking everyone present.
He had been standing deferentially at the bottom of the main hall's steps, and with the Elders' attention not on the youths, no one had noticed that Bai Zichen was already at the Qi Refining Fourth Layer.
Scorching gazes fell upon him one after another. The fluctuations of Magical Power from a Qi Refining Fourth Layer cultivator were unmistakable and could not be faked.
"This… how is this possible?"
Elder Honggu was speechless. She took a few steps forward in disbelief, her almond-shaped eyes fixed on him as if to see right through him.
"Yes, it's too fast! Could he be one of those who just chugs Spirit Pills every day?"
"Old Zuo, have you lost your mind? Even if the boy had that many Spirit Stones, how could someone in the Early-Stage Qi Refining withstand the power of elixirs? Taking one a month is already the absolute limit."
Several Late-Stage Qi Refining seniors began to whisper amongst themselves, their heads close together. This was truly beyond anyone's imagination.
"This clan brother's cultivation speed is so astonishing. Could he have some special Spirit Body? I needed the help of two Qi Replenishing Pills just to break through to the Qi Refining Third Layer. Even if he had elixirs to help him every month, breaking through the bottleneck to the Mid-Stage Qi Refining this quickly is just too fast."
Bai Ling's beautiful eyes were filled with curiosity. She had a charming face and skin as white as snow. Her standard-issue Daoist Robe couldn't conceal her already budding, curvaceous figure.
"He seems to be two years younger than me. I bet only the true geniuses in the Qingfeng Sect have this kind of cultivation speed!"
Bai Wei stood beside his sister, pouting. He just couldn't figure out how the gap in their cultivation levels could be so large.
As for Bai Chongwu, he had already come to terms with it. He sized up this clan brother, who was several years his junior, with great interest.
In any case, no matter how they ranked them, the spot had nothing to do with him anymore.
He himself had been stuck at the Qi Refining Third Layer bottleneck for a full two years, constantly polishing and accumulating his Magical Power before he finally broke through.
'I really want to know how this clan brother cultivates. Hasn't he ever felt that sense of powerlessness when your cultivation stagnates and you can't find a way to advance no matter how hard you try?'
When the gap between you and another person is too vast, it's hard to even feel a sense of jealousy.
'You even feel a sense of relief. Losing to a genius like this is no disgrace.'
"Good kid! We all misjudged you. You've gone and caused a huge stir without a single peep!"
The Second Elder slapped his thigh, even tossing aside the brass pipe that never left his hand. "Well then, there's no need to say anything more, is there? Bai Zichen is more than worthy of this spot!"
"But Bai Ling and Bai Wei are siblings with Dual Spiritual Roots, after all…"
"Honggu, you're not unclear on what a twelve-year-old at Mid-Stage Qi Refining means, are you? Even the Clan Leader didn't have such a cultivation level at this age. In any case, I cast my vote for Bai Zichen. As for the two siblings, let the sister with the higher cultivation go."
The Grand Elder interrupted Elder Honggu's struggle and made the final decision.
On the surface, the Qi Refining Fourth Layer was only a single step away from the Qi Refining Third Layer. But as the first major bottleneck in the Qi Refining Three Realms, it had stumped countless cultivators.
These cultivators, who had not been on the path of cultivation for long, had no experience with bottlenecks. They could only buzz around the barrier like headless flies, completely helpless.
It was common to be stuck at this bottleneck for anywhere from several months to four or five years.
Bai Zichen's current age, combined with his cultivation level, could only prove one thing: he had experienced no bottleneck whatsoever when breaking through to the Mid-Stage Qi Refining and had passed through in one go. Otherwise, having just reached the Qi Refining Third Layer six months ago, any slight delay would have made this timing impossible.
As long as Bai Zichen's cultivation speed doesn't slow down too much in the future, it's even possible for him to reach Qi Refining Great Perfection before the age of thirty.
That would leave him a full twenty years to accumulate resources and build up his foundation to assault the Foundation Establishment Stage.
Bai Zichen, Bai Ling!
Once the two names were confirmed, a carrier pigeon was sent to notify the Qingfeng Sect. All that remained was to wait for next month, when they would join the other young talents at the Five Mountains Temple to comprehend the Inheritance Stele.
...
"Our clan has finally produced a true genius. When you get to the Five Mountains Temple, perform well. Don't let the people from the Qingfeng Sect and the Top Five Families outshine you."
After leaving the main hall, Bai Chongwu walked up and started a warm conversation, giving no indication that the two had only just met that day.
"This foolish older brother is a few years your senior and knows a thing or two about the famous young talents of Black Mountain. Later, I'll give Brother Chenn a proper introduction so you won't meet them without knowing who they are."
"Lackey!"
Bai Wei, trailing behind them, saw this and muttered disdainfully.
"What did you say!" Bai Chongwu's face flushed red. He did indeed have some thoughts of currying favor with Bai Zichen, or at the very least, forging a good relationship.
Anyone could see that after they returned from the Five Mountains Temple, Bai Zichen and Bai Ling would surely be designated as key prospects for the clan to nurture.
It wasn't that they would be handed a mountain of resources directly, but that opportunities would be constantly created for them to more easily earn clan contribution points, and they would be put on a complete development track.
Right now, Bai Zichen had yet to make his mark. It was the perfect time to invest in him and secure a position by his side.
But being called out so bluntly by a youth like Bai Wei, Bai Chongwu couldn't maintain his composure and almost threw a punch, about to start a brawl with his own clansman.
Bai Zichen quickly stopped Bai Chongwu and said sincerely, "Brother Chongwu, you're considering the clan's reputation and are willing to share your information. This little brother appreciates your kindness. Why bicker with a child? At my humble home tomorrow, I will prepare Spirit Tea. Brother Chongwu must remember to come visit."
"Of course. Then I will impose on you tomorrow."
With Bai Zichen stepping in to speak, Bai Chongwu took the opportunity to back down. He shot a fierce glare at Bai Wei, cupped his hands in a farewell, and left.
Bai Wei, on the other hand, had been called a child by Bai Zichen. He was so angry he was about to retort, but he saw the group of Elders coming out just then and indignantly held his tongue.
"You're Bai Zichen, right? You're very good. Keep up the hard work."
"Worthy of being Jiu'an's nephew! So composed, you even managed to keep the news of your promotion to the Qi Refining Fourth Layer a secret. The future of the Bai Family will depend on your generation!"
"That's right! I bet it won't be long before Bai Zichen's cultivation is on par with ours!"
"Old Zuo, don't talk nonsense. You'll kill the boy with praise."
...
The two Elders and the other Late-Stage Qi Refining seniors all offered encouragement and goodwill. Only Elder Honggu kept a stern face, called over Bai Ling and Bai Wei, and left in a huff.
Bai Zichen didn't mind. 'I'm not a Spirit Stone, I can't make everyone like me.'
"Chenn'er, when did you break through? How come even I didn't know?"
On the way home, Bai Jiu'an studied his nephew deeply. Today had truly brought him a great surprise and a shock.
Within the clan, he was considered part of the Second Elder's faction. He had communicated with him beforehand and also contacted a few familiar Late-Stage Qi Refining clansmen. However, he still hadn't been confident about whether they could win the competition against the two siblings.
Bai Jiu'an was a cultivator with Four Spiritual Roots, so he knew better than anyone how much more effort he had to put in to reach his current stage due to the limitations of his Spiritual Root.
If all other conditions were similar, the advantage of Dual Spiritual Roots was simply too great.
Even in the Qingfeng Sect, disciples with Dual Spiritual Roots were treated with special regard.
After all, the last time the Qingfeng Sect had recruited a disciple with a Celestial Spiritual Root was over a hundred years ago.
"Never mind you, Uncle. Even I didn't expect the breakthrough to go so smoothly…"