Chapter 681: The Shocked Sect Higher-ups, the Xuanzhen Sect's "Treasure

Just a moment ago, he had been vaguely uneasy. He was afraid this bet would turn out like the last two—what seemed like a sure victory would end with Bai Bing silently turning the tables on him.

But now, it seemed all his worries were for naught. ‘How could Yang Jing possibly break through to the Qi Absorption Realm? It’s just Bai Bing overthinking things.’

Just then, a Main Peak disciple on duty outside strode into the hall. He bowed to Cao Zhen, who sat at the head, and reported respectfully, “Sect Leader, Chu Yunhai and Yang Jing have arrived outside.”

Cao Zhen nodded slightly. “Let them in,” he said in a deep voice.

The disciple bowed, accepted the order, and withdrew from the hall.

A moment later, two sets of steady footsteps could be heard approaching from outside.

Bai Bing’s eyes narrowed slightly. She gazed calmly toward the entrance, waiting for the two to enter.

Beside her, Zhou Yunyi also looked toward the entrance with a hint of curiosity. Having been friends with Bai Bing for many years, she knew her friend was not one to make wild claims or be blindly optimistic.

She didn’t believe Bai Bing’s seemingly casual speculation for a second. She was certain that if Bai Bing was this confident in Yang Jing’s breakthrough, there had to be other, more concrete reasons she simply wasn’t voicing.

Soon, two figures walked in through the entrance, side by side.

Chu Yunhai walked with his head held high and his chest puffed out. His features were handsome, his brow carrying an innate confidence and pride. His aura was steady, the very picture of a heaven-blessed prodigy.

Yang Jing, in contrast, had a placid expression and clear eyes. He stood as straight as a pine tree, neither arrogant nor impetuous, his aura completely restrained, showing not a hint of his edge.

Instantly, every pair of eyes in the hall fixed upon the two of them.

But a second later, everyone’s gaze sharpened, focusing entirely on Yang Jing.

The Peak Masters, the Sect Leader, and the Chief Elder were all mighty cultivators of the Pill Realm. Their perception was incredibly sharp.

With a single glance, they sensed that the aura emanating from Yang Jing was completely different from before.

His aura seemed placid and restrained, not the least bit ostentatious, but upon closer inspection, it was fundamentally different from that of Chu Yunhai, who stood beside him, still at the Peak of the Qi Eating Realm.

The atmosphere in the hall suddenly grew heavy, and the very air seemed to freeze.

The upper echelon of the Xuanzhen Sect stared blankly at Yang Jing. First, they were stunned. Then, in the next second, their eyes shot wide open, pupils constricting as waves of incredible shock washed over them.

Their probing senses confirmed it: the seemingly restrained and placid aura around Yang Jing was, in fact, the genuine aura of the Qi Absorption Realm—steady, condensed, and sharp. It was a world of difference from the Qi Eating Realm!

Qin Gang, the Peak Master of Zhenyue Peak, who just a moment ago had been wearing an expression of absolute confidence, shot up from his chair with a soft clatter.

He stared intently at Yang Jing, his gaze so tangible it was as if he were physically sizing him up, scrutinizing him from head to toe, not missing a single inch, as if trying to see right through him.

After confirming that it was, indeed, the aura of the Qi Absorption Realm, he whipped his head around to look at Peak Master Lingxi, Bai Bing, who remained as serene and unruffled as ever.

In that instant, everything became clear to Qin Gang. He had been thoroughly tricked by Bai Bing!

Bai Bing’s earlier excuse—’My disciple didn’t come to me, so I guessed he must have broken through’—was utterly flimsy! It was obvious she had known all along that Yang Jing had reached the Qi Absorption Realm. She had only pretended it was a guess to lure him into the bet!

Qin Gang’s face paled and flushed in turns. Finally, he let out a long sigh and shook his head with a helpless, bitter smile.

He never would have imagined that Peak Master Lingxi, who was usually as noble, cold, and unsmiling as a Banished Immortal, had such a meticulously calculating and “cunning” side to her.

At this point, no amount of regret would change anything. The bet had been made in front of the Sect Leader and the other Peak Masters. As a Peak Master himself, he could not possibly go back on his word.

But on second thought, even though he had lost the precious Cyan Lake Seal, Yang Jing’s successful breakthrough to the Qi Absorption Realm had solved the Xuanzhen Sect’s urgent crisis with the three prodigies from the Vajra Sect. It had saved the sect’s honor and revealed an incredible new talent for the Xuanzhen Sect. From any perspective, public or private, this was a tremendous piece of good news.

With this self-consolation, Qin Gang finally suppressed his frustration and resentment. He slowly sat back down, a pained expression still on his face.

Meanwhile, Chu Yunhai, standing in the middle of the hall, had been holding his head high with an air of confident composure. He had thought today was his moment to shine as the sect’s prodigy in front of its leaders.

But the sudden, strange silence in the hall, and the unblinking stares from the powerful Pill Realm cultivators, made his heart clench. He panicked instantly.

He quickly lowered his head, fixing his gaze respectfully on the floor, not daring to even breathe too loudly.

‘Could it be that my strength has advanced by leaps and bounds during my recent seclusion, so much so that even the Sect Leader and the Peak Masters are stunned?’ he secretly wondered, though he was filled with confusion.

Chu Yunhai had already worked it all out in his mind. He was well aware that the three prodigies from the Vajra Sect would soon arrive to issue their challenge, and he was even clearer on the sect’s strategy to deal with them.

He would take the lead, with Yang Jing as his support, and they would face the challenge together.

The Sect Leader had summoned him and Yang Jing today, most likely to give them personal instructions regarding the upcoming battle.

In the past, even with considerable confidence in his own abilities, he wouldn’t have dared claim a guaranteed victory against the Vajra Sect’s three prodigies, who were famous throughout Jintai Prefecture.

But now, his mastery over his War Body had grown increasingly fluid and refined. His power, speed, and physical strength were all skyrocketing. His abilities were on a completely different level than before.

Forget about joining forces with Yang Jing—he was now fully confident he could single-handedly suppress all three of the Vajra Sect’s prodigies.