Mythical Cultivation

"Okay, okay, let's not talk about him anymore. I called you here today, firstly, we haven't seen each other for a long time, and this is a good opportunity for us to get together; secondly, it's because it has been ten years since we joined the sect. So I wanted to take this opportunity to ask you about the outer sect competition. I wonder if there is any relevant news or rumors recently?" Seeing this, Wu Ming quickly and cleverly changed the subject.

"Well... I haven't heard any special news." Huang Hao shook his head and answered honestly.

"I haven't heard any definite news, but I often hear many fellow disciples discussing it. Everyone says that this outer sect competition will officially start in the next few months! After all, they are all veterans who have experienced a competition, and they must know more about these things than us." Zhao Xiaohai is worthy of being the person with the most lively and cheerful personality. He usually gets to know many fellow disciples, so naturally, the information he gets is better than the others.

After Zhao Xiaohai finished speaking, the other three people simultaneously turned their gazes to Mei Lingshuang, who had been standing quietly to the side, as if wanting to hear what this icy beauty had to say. Mei Lingshuang, sensing the gazes of the crowd, a faint blush crept across her frosty, snowy face. However, despite this, she remained silent, her lips tightly shut, only gently shaking her head in response.

Wu Ming suddenly changed the subject and said, "According to what Xiao Hai said just now, I believe that this outer sect competition is indeed about to come. I wonder if everyone has made sufficient preparations? To be honest, I, Wu Ming, am determined to win this time and must get into the top 100!" Wu Ming, who has always been quite humble and low-key in front of others, unexpectedly spoke out his true thoughts from the bottom of his heart for the first time.

"Have you reached the ninth level of Qi Refining?" A flicker of surprise crossed Mei Lingshuang's face, as clear as a snow lotus. Her eyes, as limpid as water, immediately turned to Wu Ming, and she asked in a low voice. You know, the top 100 places in every sect competition are almost always taken by cultivators who have reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. It's rare for anything else to happen. For this reason, when Mei Lingshuang heard Wu Ming's words, she couldn't help but feel a surge of surprise and curiosity, hence her question.

At this moment, Huang Hao and Zhao Xiaohai, standing nearby, couldn't help but cast their gazes towards Wu Ming. Huang Hao, a burly figure with a resolute face, fixed his fierce eyes on Wu Ming; Zhao Xiaohai's eyes also gleamed with anticipation. They both stood silently, awaiting Wu Ming's answer.

Facing the gazes of the crowd, Wu Ming raised the corners of his mouth slightly, outlining a confident smile, and said slowly: "Yes, a few days ago, I have successfully entered the ninth level of Qi Refining." His voice was not loud, but it was clearly heard by everyone present.

After Wu Ming gave his answer, Huang Hao, Mei Lingshuang and Zhao Xiaohai, the three of them instantly had different waves and thoughts in their hearts.

Mei Lingshuang's eyes, once incredibly bright, now widened to a shimmering state, like two glittering gemstones embedded in her face. Her clear, piercing eyes were filled with disbelief. When she'd heard Wu Ming declare his ambition to reach the top 100 of the Outer Sect Competition, she'd secretly wondered if he'd already reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. Back then, it had been a mere guess, but now, Wu Ming's words had confirmed her suspicions.

You know, in terms of talent, she was far superior to Wu Ming! Even so, she still hadn't broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining. According to her own conservative estimate, if everything went smoothly, it would take at least several more months to successfully reach the ninth level of Qi Refining. But now? Wu Ming had taken this crucial step even earlier than she had. This sudden situation left her feeling bewildered and even began to deeply doubt the path of cultivation she had always believed in.

If her memory wasn't distorted, she clearly remembered herself as possessing a lower-grade six-star physique, while Wu Ming's was a mere lower-grade five-star. While the disparity between the two wasn't stark, it was palpable. However, the strength they had demonstrated thus far gave the illusion that Wu Ming possessed a six-star physique, while she, on the other hand, only had a five-star physique. This stark contrast was difficult for Mei Lingshuang to accept, and she fell into a deep state of self-doubt.

In the past few days, Wu Ming's realm improvement speed exceeded her own. At first, Mei Lingshuang could understand this, because Wu Ming had been fortunate enough to obtain a rare opportunity, and it was reasonable for him to achieve rapid advancement with the help of this opportunity.

However, she was puzzled by the fact that in recent years, both of them had been diligently cultivating within the sect. During this period, she hadn't heard of Wu Ming receiving any special opportunities or assistance. So why was his cultivation progress still so rapid? You know, as one's cultivation level continues to rise, the gap in one's aptitude becomes increasingly significant.

Could it be that Wu Ming was hiding some unknown secret? Mei Lingshuang couldn't help but fall into deep thought. What she never expected was that she was actually very close to the truth, but unfortunately she didn't know it.

However, everyone has their own secrets, and even the closest of relationships, it's never appropriate to pry into someone else's privacy. Therefore, Mei Lingshuang could only constantly console herself, saying, "Wu Ming must be hiding something. We can't treat him with common sense!"

Despite this, this incident greatly aroused Mei Lingshuang's inner competitive spirit. She secretly made up her mind that she must successfully break through to the ninth level of Qi Refining before the outer sect competition came, and she must be among the top 100 in the competition. She must not be defeated by Wu Ming.