"Third Uncle, while Xiao Chen's Spiritual Root is a bit lacking, his comprehension is excellent. I believe he has potential and is worth nurturing."
The day after the exchange meeting, Steward Chen went to see Outer Sect Elder Chen Tianyang to express his admiration for Xiao Chen.
"Zhi'an, I know you want to personally nurture a few promising disciples, but don't be in such a rush. This little fellow you're talking about, he has a Mixed Wood Spirit Root?"
"Yes, Third Uncle. Although he..."
"Alas, Zhi'an, a Wood Spirit Root is suited for neither Alchemy nor Artifact Refining. He's of no use to our Chen Family. Does he have an impressive master or lineage?"
"I... don't believe so. I checked. The Cultivation Technique he practices is a Yellow Level one issued by the division."
"Then he's of no value. We'll stick to the usual plan. Prioritize the family disciples and focus on their training."
Chen Tianyang made the final decision. "In any case, the Outer Sect trial is coming up. If he wants to earn additional resource support, it will all depend on his performance. He'll have to fight for it himself."
"It's a blessing in itself that you're not making things difficult for him. If he's truly blessed with good fortune, he'll know how to seize his opportunities."
...
Meanwhile, news that Xiao Chen had experienced consecutive epiphanies in just six months spread to the other divisions, sparking a great deal of discussion among the Outer Disciples.
"First, it was that Lin Ping'an, who's always stumbling upon Treasures of Heaven and Earth. Now it's this Xiao Chen, who actually managed two consecutive epiphanies. When will it be my turn?"
"Hey, who do you guys think will become an Inner Sect Disciple first? I heard Lin Ping'an is already at the sixth level of Qi Refining. Looks like he's about to make it."
"I wouldn't be so sure. His progress is all due to luck, which doesn't really count. Since that's not Cultivation he earned himself, his foundation must be unstable. I bet he'll be stuck for another three to five years."
"Those two are both so lucky, not like us. I went down the mountain yesterday and saw a senior brother from the Inner Sect selling Elixirs. In just a short time, he earned several Spirit Stones. I'm so jealous!"
"Who isn't? I wonder when we'll ever be able to join the Inner Sect and learn the Hundred Skills of Cultivation."
"Isn't the arena competition next month? Are you confident enough to fight for a spot as an Inner Sect candidate?"
"Forget it. Don't make fun of me. I'm no match for those senior brothers."
"Hey, look! Isn't that Xiao Chen from the Second Division? He really is meditating in the Spirit Field!"
The group looked over and, sure enough, saw Xiao Chen. He had just finished casting the Small Cloud Rain Skill and was now cultivating cross-legged under a willow tree by the Spirit Field.
Ever since the exchange meeting—perhaps because his stories were so classic, or maybe because his breakthrough was so eye-catching—many disciples would whisper and point at him as they passed.
He wasn't used to it at first, but he was quickly forced to adapt.
After all, everyone was discreet enough to only discuss him from afar. No one actually approached to strike up a conversation.
Xiao Chen simply acted as if he couldn't see or hear them, and just as he'd expected, everyone forgot about it after a few days. He returned to his monotonous life of cultivation.
Steward Chen did, however, come and ask him, "Do you want to switch to a different Cultivation Technique? I can pull some strings and let you choose a new Profound-level one."
Xiao Chen refused without the slightest hesitation. "Thank you for your concern, Steward Chen, but I feel the Cultivation Technique I have is working well enough. I won't trouble you."
He had tested it in private. The Augment truly only worked on Yellow Level Cultivation Techniques; it didn't even affect unranked, basic ones.
After he cast the Small Cloud Rain Skill, if he tried to recover Magical Power using the Basic Breathing Technique, the process became incredibly slow, likely taking about two hours.
Under these circumstances, and especially after getting used to the rapid improvement brought by circulating Spiritual Qi at high speed, he wouldn't switch now, even if someone gave him a Heaven... er... an Earth Level Cultivation Technique for free.
Steward Chen felt a bit of regret. As a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, he also knew the inside story about the changes to this year's trial; he could figure out anything Jiang Sixuan was able to guess.
He had originally wanted to do Xiao Chen a favor by letting him switch to a better Cultivation Technique.
Unfortunately, the young man seemed to have made up his mind and was fixated on the Qi Nourishing and Breathing Technique, so there was nothing more to be done.
He couldn't just openly reveal internal information to a disciple in the Qi Refining Stage; that would be too great a breach of the rules.
Over the better part of the next month, Xiao Chen consumed two bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills.
He could already feel himself at the threshold of the sixth level of Qi Refining, just shy of crossing the line.
Unfortunately, before he could break through, the Sect announced this year's trial reforms three days ahead of schedule.
All Outer Disciples were to depart three days early for the Feihong Mountain Range, where this year's Outer Sect trial would be held.
"Huh? A total of eight hundred li? On foot? And if you don't arrive in three days, you're disqualified?"
Xiao Chen was a bit speechless. 'Is this supposed to be the first test?'
The Sect clearly had large Flying Boats; as an Immortal Seedling who had been brought over from a small village, Xiao Chen had even ridden one before.
It hadn't flown very high, but it was incredibly fast, and there were all sorts of incomprehensible patterns flashing on it.
And yet, now that he was a Cultivator, he couldn't enjoy that kind of treatment anymore. All he could do was wave goodbye to Steward Chen at the sect gate.
Steward Chen was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator who could fly on his own sword, yet he got to ride a Flying Boat.
It was a classic case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
In reality, the distance wasn't that great. It might be difficult for a mortal, but the Outer Disciples were all Cultivators.
Traveling three hundred li in a single day wasn't really a problem.
The only fear was that the competition would have already secretly begun along the way.
After all, since arriving late meant disqualification, someone was bound to get some funny ideas, which could make things messy.
The Sect's higher-ups should have been able to predict this situation, but then again, who's to say this wasn't intentional?
"Xiao, we're planning to travel together. Would you like to come?"
Jiang Sixuan had suddenly taken the initiative to speak, inviting Xiao Chen to travel with them.
Three people were already gathered behind her, including Ye Fei and two other cultivators, one male and one female.
The female cultivator looked a bit familiar; he'd seen her at Baiyu Studio before and knew she was a friend of Jiang Sixuan's.
The other male cultivator was also familiar. He seemed to be one of the Second Division's seven current cultivators at the sixth level of Qi Refining.
He was also considered one of the strong contenders for this trial.
Judging by their status and the composition of this temporary team, Jiang Sixuan had no reason to worry about any incidents along the way.
But she still invited Xiao Chen to set off with them, even though she had already decided to interact with him less in the future.
After all, as an outstanding descendant of the Jiang Family, she had undergone rigorous training, especially in the art of navigating social relationships.
Many people knew that the three of them had entered the division together and had even attended a celebratory banquet. She couldn't appear to be distant so soon.
Therefore, a courtesy invitation was necessary.
"Sure!" Xiao Chen agreed on the spot.
Jiang Sixuan's expression stiffened almost imperceptibly, but she quickly put on a smile. "That's wonderful. I hope all five of us can place in the top ten this time."
Xiao Chen nodded. "I hope you're right."
After that, their journey was indeed smooth, and they encountered no trouble.
By noon on the third day, the five of them had smoothly arrived at the assembly point on the outskirts of the Feihong Mountain Range.