The return of Wang Jian to the Mystic Peak Sect, a little over a month after Princess Yue Lingshan's own arrival, caused a ripple, then a wave, and finally, a minor tsunami of astonishment among the outer sect disciples and even some of the Deacons.
He strode through the main gates of the outer sect, his disciple token presented, his mission report for the 'Western Foothills Survey' (a meticulously crafted document filled with detailed, if somewhat creatively embellished, observations of flora, fauna, and 'minor beast disturbances') ready for submission. He looked… different. Still handsome, of course, but his aura, his very presence, had shifted.
Before, he was a Fourth Stage Qi Condensation disciple, albeit one with a certain quiet confidence. Now, the faint but undeniable pressure of a Seventh Stage Qi Condensation cultivator radiated from him. Not aggressive, but present, like a sword resting lightly in its scabbard.
