Chapter 686 Chu Yunhai's Dejection and the Sect's Cultivation Efforts

As Chu Yunhai’s mind reeled, the Sect Leader, Cao Zhen, who was seated at the head of the great hall, slowly turned his gaze to land on the young man standing below with his head bowed.

Cao Zhen’s expression was solemn, his tone level yet affable as he said, “Yunhai, you may leave for now. Cultivate well, and strive to break through to the Qi Absorption Realm soon.”

Upon hearing this, Chu Yunhai’s entire body trembled as if struck by a bolt of lightning, a ringing filling his ears.

The Sect Leader had dismissed him alone, yet kept Yang Jing—who had just broken through to the Qi Absorption Realm—in the hall. The difference in favoritism and importance was like the clearest of brands, seared cruelly into his very soul.

Not another word was necessary. The gazes of every high-ranking member of the sect present had already said everything.

A mixture of gloom, bitterness, and frustration churned in Chu Yunhai’s chest, threatening to drown him. The feeling was so unbearable he could hardly breathe, the knot of resentment in his heart tightening to its absolute limit.

But the Sect Leader’s words were the sect’s decree. As a disciple, he had no room to object or linger. He could only force all his turbulent emotions back down.

The corner of Chu Yunhai’s mouth twitched uncontrollably, his lips pulled into a tight line. Forcing down the lump in his throat, he looked up at Cao Zhen on the high platform, cupped his hands in a deep bow, and said in a low, almost imperceptibly hoarse voice, “Yes. This disciple takes his leave.”

As soon as the words left his mouth, he lingered not a moment longer. He slowly turned and walked, step by step, toward the doors of the Main Peak’s great hall.

He deliberately kept his back ramrod straight, each step firm and steady, trying to preserve the last shreds of his dignity and pride.

But beneath that straight spine was an unconcealable stiffness and deliberateness. Every step felt like walking on the edge of a knife, so heavy he could barely lift his feet.

The moment he stepped out of the great hall, a biting mountain wind assaulted him, stinging his cheeks. In that instant, Chu Yunhai had a sudden, bone-deep realization: he finally understood how Yang Jing must have felt when he lost during Elder Ouyang’s examination.

The despair of giving one’s all only to fail, the suffocating pressure of being met with indifferent gazes—it was like an airtight net, wrapping around him so tightly that even breathing felt difficult.

The Celestial Derivation Peak Master, Huang Zhen, sat in a chair to one side of the hall, his eyes following Chu Yunhai’s departing figure.

The figure looked upright, but it couldn’t hide an air of desolation and loneliness. Watching him go, Huang Zhen sighed inwardly, a trace of helplessness and regret clouding his features.

He knew very well that from the moment Yang Jing had been the first to break through to the Qi Absorption Realm, the position of the Xuanzhen Sect’s number one prospect had irrevocably changed hands. It no longer belonged to his disciple, Chu Yunhai.

From the instant Yang Jing broke through his bottleneck and successfully stepped into the Qi Absorption Realm, the allocation of the Xuanzhen Sect’s resources and the focus of its training were fated to shift entirely, centering on cultivating Yang Jing with all its might.

This was simply because the heaven-defying talent and astonishing potential Yang Jing had displayed far surpassed those of his peers.

The sect’s upper echelon had all seen it. As long as he was given enough time and ample resources, there was a great hope that he could lead the gradually declining Xuanzhen Sect to rise again, returning it to the peak glory of its days as a great Martial Dao sect.

Huang Zhen gazed toward the hall’s entrance and shook his head slightly, a sliver of hope in his heart. ‘I just hope this disciple I’ve so carefully taught won’t be crushed by today’s blow.’

‘The path of the Martial Dao is long and endless. Talent and a single setback don’t determine one’s entire future. As long as he can settle his mind and cultivate diligently, who can say for certain how far he will go on the path of the Martial Dao?’

‘It’s just like Yang Jing not long ago, who lost to Chu Yunhai in the sect’s examination for the top prospect. Back then, the gazes of the entire Xuanzhen Sect leadership were focused almost solely on Chu Yunhai.’

‘The sect’s best Cultivation Resources and the Elders’ careful guidance were all lavished upon him, while Yang Jing was drowned in a sea of indifference.’

‘Yet now, in just a short time, the tables have completely turned. Yang Jing has staged a successful comeback through his own perseverance and talent, taking the first step into the Qi Absorption Realm that countless disciples dream of.’

‘That single step has instantly made him a Core Disciple, someone the entire Xuanzhen Sect leadership values immensely and will spare no effort to cultivate.’

While everyone in the great hall was lost in their own thoughts, the Sect Leader of Xuanzhen Sect, Cao Zhen, let out a soft cough from the high platform. The clear sound echoed through the spacious hall, instantly drawing the attention of every disciple and Elder present.

Cao Zhen’s gaze fell upon Yang Jing, a gentle smile appearing on his face. He spoke, “Yang Jing’s successful breakthrough to the Qi Absorption Realm is a joyous occasion for our Xuanzhen Sect. It is only natural that the sect will devote all its resources to assist him. Fellow Peak Masters and Elders, what level of Cultivation Resources do you believe we should provide for Yang Jing?”

The words had barely faded when, from one side of the hall, the Peak Master of Lingxi Peak, Bai Bing—clad in a simple white dress and possessing a cool, aloof air—slowly rose to her feet.

Her figure was slender and her face exquisitely beautiful, with a hint of coldness in her eyes. She addressed Cao Zhen on the high platform and the other high-ranking members of the Xuanzhen Sect, saying, “Compared to the vast reserves of the sect’s main treasury, the Cultivation Resources and foundation of my Lingxi Peak are still shallow. To cultivate Yang Jing in the future, we will require a great deal of support from the sect.”

Cao Zhen, seated in the Sect Leader’s throne, swept his steady gaze over those below. He gave a slow nod to Bai Bing, who had stood to speak, and replied in a decisive tone, “That is a matter of course. Yang Jing is a prodigy of our Xuanzhen Sect and carries the high hopes of our entire school. It is only natural that the Xuanzhen Sect will pour all its strength into cultivating him.”

Hearing Cao Zhen’s firm reply, the coldness in Bai Bing’s eyes instantly softened. A genuine smile graced her beautiful face, and her anxious heart was finally put at ease. She no longer had any doubt that the sect would devote its full power to cultivating Yang Jing.