Mythical Cultivation

At this point, a thought suddenly occurred to him: It had been quite some time since I'd visited Grandpa. Moreover, at such a crucial moment as his successful breakthrough to the ninth level of Qi Refining, he hadn't even had time to share this good news with Grandpa. With this thought in mind, Wu Ming immediately decided to descend the mountain and head to Qingyun Market to visit his grandfather, Wu Tianlong, whom he hadn't seen for a long time.

After a non-stop journey, Wu Ming finally arrived at his destination, Hesheng Hall, only to be surprised to find Deacon Wang Cheng and Senior Brother Wang Zongyuan also there. Confused, he couldn't help but ask, "Grandpa Wang, Senior Brother Wang, how come you're here together?" A hint of bewilderment slipped through his lips.

Wang Cheng just smiled slightly and said slowly: "Well, it's been quite a long time since I last saw your grandfather. It happened that I have been relatively free these days, so I thought of coming to see him. If you don't practice well, how do you have time to come?" Wang Cheng knew that Wu Ming had been practicing hard in the sect for the past two years, so he asked this when he heard that Wu Ming was coming.

"Thank you, Grandpa Wang, for always thinking about my grandfather. I am not a talented kid, but after these two days of hard training, I have finally reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. However, at this stage, it is very difficult to make another breakthrough, so I have been able to make some time to visit you recently." Wu Ming explained respectfully to the two old men in front of him.

When Old Master Wu heard Wu Ming's words, a look of relief immediately appeared on his face. He couldn't help but reach out and gently stroke his gray beard, nodding in praise: "Great! Ninth level of Qi Refining? Ah Ming really lived up to my expectations of you, Wu Tianlong. You are truly worthy of being my grandson! Even if compared with others, you are not inferior at all."

After hearing this, Wang Zongyuan on the side also smiled and agreed: "It's really good, Junior Brother Wu! You should know that you have joined the sect for less than ten years, and you have already reached such a level. It is already quite outstanding. Even compared with several other fellow brothers, you are not inferior." He was referring to those people with prominent identities and backgrounds.

It turned out that the "others" he was referring to were all second- and third-generation cultivators with strong backing. Some had been raised within the sect since childhood, while others were prominent figures from smaller factions. These individuals either had the backing of established elders within the Qingyun Sect or relied on the support of established families. A grassroots disciple like Wu Ming, with no foundation, was naturally at a disadvantage compared to them. Yet, despite this, Wu Ming, through his tireless efforts and exceptional talent, had managed to distinguish himself among the many disciples, a truly impressive feat.

"Indeed! I heard that Dongfang Haoyu, Liu Qingyun and others have only entered the ninth level of Qi Refining in the past two years. And A Ming is able to follow closely behind them without falling behind at all. Doesn't this just demonstrate A Ming's extraordinary talent and unremitting efforts?" Old man Wang Cheng said slowly, while mentioning the names of those people.

"Alas, it's all because of my limited ability! If I had some more skills, perhaps A Ming's cultivation would improve even faster." When Mr. Wu heard the Wang Cheng brothers talking about the other people, he couldn't help but feel guilty and sighed self-reproachfully, thinking that he had hindered the development of Wu Ming's talent.

"Grandpa, please don't say that. If it weren't for your careful teaching since I was a child, how could I have achieved what I have today?" Wu Ming hurriedly comforted his grandfather, his tone full of gratitude.

"Brother Wu, we must not underestimate ourselves! Those guys either have powerful cultivation families backing them, or they're from within sects themselves. Even with such favorable conditions and abundant resources, they're only slightly better than our boy!" Seeing this, Elder Wang Cheng quickly spoke to comfort Elder Wu.

"It just so happens that kid Wu has entered the ninth level of Qi Refining. With his current strength, he is already an outstanding existence among the outer disciples. In this way, he will surely be able to show his talents and make a name for himself in the upcoming outer sect competition!" Grandpa Wang Cheng continued with a smile.

"Grandpa Wang, when will the outer sect competition officially begin? Recently, I keep hearing my fellow disciples around me talking about it, saying that the outer sect competition is about to begin, but our sect has not given any clear and accurate information." Wu Ming's face was full of curiosity and anticipation. When he heard Grandpa Wang mention the outer sect competition, he quickly took the opportunity to ask.

Old Master Wang replied slowly, "As for this, actually the sect has already decided on the exact time for the outer sect competition, but it's still some time away from the actual start, so it hasn't been announced yet. As far as I know, the outer sect competition will kick off in three months. According to my guess, the sect should announce this news to everyone next month." After all, this is not a top secret. For someone like Old Master Wang Cheng, who has a slightly higher status in the sect, it is not surprising to know about this, so it would be okay for him to reveal a little to Wu Ming at this moment.

"So that's why we have to wait three months! No wonder the relevant information hasn't been released yet!" Wu Ming nodded in sudden realization, expressing his complete understanding. After all, there were still several months of preparation time, and the sect really didn't need to announce this news too soon.

Then, Old Man Wang and Senior Brother Wang slowly turned around, their figures gradually walking away until they disappeared from sight. Everyone knew that the relationship between the grandfather and grandson was extremely deep, so they quietly left space for them, not disturbing this rare family time.

At this moment, Old Master Wu turned around, looked at Wu Ming lovingly, and asked softly, "Ah Ming, are you confident that you can make it into the top 100 in the upcoming Outer Sect Competition?"

Wu Ming looked at his grandfather confidently and replied without hesitation, "Grandpa, don't worry! I'm sure to make it into the top 100 in this competition. Once I obtain the Foundation Establishment Pill, you can try using it to build your foundation." In reality, Wu Ming had already considered this question. He knew that with his current level of cultivation, even if he obtained the Foundation Establishment Pill, it wouldn't be effective in the short term. However, if his grandfather took it, perhaps it could help him successfully build his foundation. This would add over a hundred years to his grandfather's lifespan, something Wu Ming longed for most.