Chapter 668: Peak of Qi Eating, Making a Breakthrough

Just then, the sound of steady footsteps echoed from the depths of the great hall. A tall figure slowly emerged from the passage connecting the rear hall to the front.

The man was dressed in a black brocade robe with a jade belt at his waist. His features were resolute, and his brow held an air of majesty. It was none other than the Sect Leader of the Xuanzhen Sect, Cao Zhen.

Cao Zhen strode into the great hall, walking directly toward the Grandmaster’s Chair at the head of the room.

Upon seeing him, the Seven Vein Peak Masters and Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan all rose to their feet. They bowed and said in unison, “We greet the Sect Leader!”

Cao Zhen stopped before the Grandmaster’s Chair. A gentle smile touched his lips as he raised a hand and gestured downwards. “Senior Brothers, Junior Brothers, and Junior Sister, there is no need for such formalities. Please, sit.”

With that, he turned and sat down, his wide sleeves rustling softly as they swept across the chair.

The others nodded and returned to their seats, and the atmosphere in the great hall grew even more solemn.

The eight of them turned their gazes toward Cao Zhen, who sat upon the Grandmaster’s Chair, their expressions tinged with confusion.

Only yesterday, they had gathered in the Main Peak’s great hall to finish discussing the future resource allocation and mission assignments for Qin Chuan, the Zhenyue Peak disciple who had just made it onto the Profound Truth List.

Yet this morning, they had received another message from the Main Peak, summoning them for an urgent matter.

They all secretly wondered, ‘Could something major have happened in just one day?’

Cao Zhen surveyed the room, his gaze sweeping over the Peak Masters and the Chief Elder, before he spoke slowly. “I have just received news. Someone is coming to challenge our sect.”

“Challenge our sect?”

Upon hearing this, everyone was taken aback. Their brows furrowed, and their expressions grew grim.

This “sect challenge,” as it was called, was a long-standing, unwritten custom among the five great sects of Jintai Prefecture.

When the young prodigies of the five great sects reached a certain level of cultivation, they would often seek out similarly-matched Martial Artists to spar with in order to further hone their Martial Dao and break through bottlenecks.

But these prodigies were the most brilliant talents in their respective sects, and Martial Artists on their level were already exceedingly rare. Finding an evenly matched opponent was no easy feat.

Thus, they could only look outward, toward the other four major sects.

Challenging the prodigies of other sects allowed them to hone their skills in real combat and test the fruits of their cultivation. A successful challenge would greatly enhance their own reputation and, at the same time, bolster their sect’s influence. It was a move that killed many birds with one stone.

However, this seemingly win-win endeavor was, in fact, incredibly difficult.

The five great sects had profound legacies and never lacked for prodigies of astonishing talent. To rashly challenge another sect’s top disciples meant the outcome was far from certain.

If they failed, not only would they become a laughingstock in the Jianghu and a stepping stone for their opponent’s fame, but their sect’s honor would also be tarnished.

Therefore, such sect challenges were rare. Anyone who dared to initiate one was invariably a top prodigy with absolute confidence in their strength—someone who perhaps even considered themselves invincible within their realm.

Li Zhihai, the Peak Master of Qingxu Peak, was the first to speak, his expression darkening. “Sect Leader, could it be Chen Chu from the Yunxiao Sect?”

In his view, Chen Chu was one of the most outstanding prodigies of the Yunxiao Sect’s current generation. Having just broken through to the True Qi Realm, he was at the peak of his ambition and likely harbored the idea of making a name for himself by walking all over the other four sects.

“Chen Chu?”

Upon hearing that name, the expressions of the other Xuanzhen Sect leaders changed, and the atmosphere in the hall instantly grew several shades more tense.

After all, Chen Chu was a bona fide True Qi Realm prodigy. Among the younger generation of the entire Jintai Prefecture, very few could match him.

Yet among the disciples of the Xuanzhen Sect, even the senior-most disciples of each Vein were still at the Peak of the Qi Absorption Realm. Not one had managed to break through to the True Qi Realm.

If Chen Chu truly came to challenge the sect, the Xuanzhen Sect would have no one to send against him. The sect’s honor would be in tatters.

Seeing their tense expressions, Cao Zhen slowly shook his head. “It is not Chen Chu. It is the Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect.”

When they heard it was not Chen Chu, everyone in the hall let out a collective sigh of relief, and the grimness on their faces largely faded.

They were, of course, familiar with the reputation of the Vajra Sect’s Three Prodigies.

The three were top prodigies of the Vajra Sect’s younger generation. All were around twenty years of age, yet they had all reached the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm. Their Horizontal Training Skills were exquisite, making them quite famous among the youth of Jintai Prefecture. Their strength was not to be underestimated.

Chief Elder Ouyang Jingxuan stroked his long beard and mulled it over for a moment before speaking. “Sect Leader, the Three Prodigies of the Vajra Sect are all young talents around the age of twenty. According to the sect challenge customs of the five great sects, it would only be fair for us to send out disciples of a similar age to face them.”

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the others, and continued, “In my opinion, we can have Chu Yunhai and Yang Jing face the Vajra Sect’s Three Prodigies.

“Chu Yunhai, in particular, has now awakened his War Body. With the full support of the sect’s top resources, his strength has advanced by leaps and bounds. He can now practically sweep through any disciple of the same age in the Qi Eating Realm.

“Then there is Yang Jing. Although he lost to Chu Yunhai in the contest for the top prospect, his strength is also formidable, and his talent and perseverance are both first-rate. With the two of them working together, dealing with the Vajra Sect’s Three Prodigies should be no issue.”

Cao Zhen nodded slightly at these words, his expression calm. “Let’s settle on that for now. The Vajra Sect’s Three Prodigies have only just set their itinerary. It will likely be some time before they actually arrive at the Xuanzhen Sect. We can make adjustments then based on the specific situation.”