“Yun Heng?!”
The moment the name appeared before her eyes, the blood drained from her face.
She stared intently at those two words, wondering if her eyes were playing tricks on her.
Yet the spiritual light on the leaderboard was crystal clear.
So the Miss Yun everyone in Tianque City had been talking about—the one who, at the mid stage of Nascent Soul, defeated two late-stage Nascent Soul cultivators in a row and charged all the way to twenty-first place upon entering the Martial Inquiry Arena—was actually Yun Heng?!
“Impossible...”
Su Mingyuan murmured under her breath.
“That's impossible.”
Before Yun Heng left Xuanxiao Sect, she was clearly only at the mid stage of Golden Core.
How much time had passed since then?
How could Yun Heng have already reached the mid stage of Nascent Soul?
Ever since Yun Heng left the sect, Su Mingyuan had hardly slacked off for a single day. She cultivated day and night, consumed pills bestowed by the sect, and had the aid of her Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root, only to finally break through to the early stage of Foundation Establishment.
Yet Yun Heng had already leaped past Golden Core and become a mid-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.
Far from narrowing, the gap between them had only grown wider and wider.
He Zhou had also spotted Yun Heng's name. Standing before the stone wall, he remained silent for a long time.
He had similarly never imagined that the Miss Yun spoken of by everyone in Tianque City was actually Yun Heng.
Ever since losing to Yun Heng at the Martial Arena, He Zhou had dreamed of that match for days on end.
In his dreams, sword light pressed down upon the Martial Arena stage. Yun Heng stood amid frost-colored sword Qi, slashing upward with the broken sword in her hand. That thin thread of frost light shattered his Mountain-Suppressing Strike and came falling directly toward his face.
On several occasions, when He Zhou woke with a start from the dream, his palms were soaked in cold sweat.
Even while cultivating, that sword strike would suddenly appear in his sea of consciousness, nearly causing his spiritual energy to go awry.
The name Yun Heng had almost become his heart demon.
He Zhou had originally thought that as long as he did not see her again, over time, that defeat on the Martial Arena would gradually fade away.
Yet now, Yun Heng's name had appeared before him once more.
Back when Yun Heng was still in the Golden Core Realm, she had already been able to cross realms to defeat him.
Now that she was at the mid stage of Nascent Soul, if the two were to fight again, he probably wouldn't even last ten moves under her blade.
Looking at the name on the stone wall, a bitter smile slowly appeared on He Zhou's face.
Is this what a genius is?
He had cultivated for many years just to reach where he was today.
Yet Yun Heng had taken only a fleeting moment to catch up to him, defeat him, and leave him far behind in her dust.
He Zhou slowly lowered his eyes.
In this lifetime, he likely wouldn't be able to catch up to her even if he tried.
He Zhou turned to look at Su Mingyuan. She was still staring fixedly at the twenty-first spot on the Nascent Soul Leaderboard, her complexion noticeably worse than his own.
He Zhou assumed she simply found it difficult to accept seeing Yun Heng's current cultivation realm.
After all, since joining the sect, Su Mingyuan had never slacked off in her cultivation.
Possessing the Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root and highly valued by the sect, she never lacked techniques or pills. Having just entered Foundation Establishment, making it onto the Tianque City Foundation Establishment Leaderboard was already enough to prove her talent.
However, Yun Heng's cultivation speed truly could not be judged by common sense.
“Junior Sister.”
He Zhou softened his tone.
“We don't even know how high the grade of Yun Heng's spiritual root is. Moreover, who knows what kind of family stands behind her?”
“The foundation of such a secluded clan might not be something Xuanxiao Sect can match. The techniques, pills, and cultivation resources Yun Heng possesses are naturally beyond the imagination of ordinary cultivators.”
He Zhou paused for a moment.
“There is no need to compare yourself to her.”
Not compare herself to her?
Su Mingyuan's hands hanging at her sides slowly clenched into fists.
He Zhou made it sound so easy, but how could she not compare herself to Yun Heng?
She possessed the Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root and was the female protagonist of the original book!
According to the original plot, all opportunities and fortune should revolve around her. She was supposed to join Xuanxiao Sect, gain the sect's high favor, enter the Qingming Secret Realm, and step-by-step become the most dazzling prodigy in the entire Eastern Region.
And what about Yun Heng?
She was clearly just cannon fodder at the start of the original book whose name no one would even remember!
She should have been expelled from the selection on the Heart-Interrogation Platform and died in the dense forest outside the Xuanxiao Sect gate.
Yet now, Yun Heng was not only alive, but had also surpassed her time and time again.
It had only been a short while since leaving Xuanxiao Sect, and she was already at the mid stage of Nascent Soul, even securing twenty-first place on the Tianque City Nascent Soul Leaderboard.
On what grounds?!
The more Su Mingyuan thought about it, the uglier her expression became.
He Zhou had been paying close attention to her expression. Seeing her remain silent for so long, with her internal turmoil only deepening, he couldn't help but feel concerned.
In cultivation, the most dangerous trap was allowing obsession to run too deep.
If Su Mingyuan began doubting her own talent because Yun Heng cultivated too fast, or developed an insurmountable mental block, it could severely affect her Dao Heart in the future.
In severe cases, it might even spawn a heart demon during a breakthrough.
“Junior Sister, you made it onto the Foundation Establishment Leaderboard shortly after entering Foundation Establishment. You've already done very well.”
He Zhou continued to persuade her, “Cultivation has never been about short-term speed. Some people advance quickly, but their foundation might not be solid.”
“You possess the Heavenly Destiny Spiritual Root and have a long road ahead of you. As long as you steady yourself step-by-step, you won't necessarily fall behind anyone.”
“Besides, the Qingming Secret Realm is about to open. If you can obtain an opportunity inside that aligns with you, your cultivation will naturally advance further.”
He Zhou spoke for a long time beside her, but Su Mingyuan did not digest a single word.
Su Mingyuan didn't even want to keep standing here, looking at that name that loomed over He Zhou and towered far above herself.
“Senior Brother, I'm a bit tired.”
She finally spoke.
“I've consumed quite a bit of spiritual power, so I'd like to go back and rest.”
He Zhou nodded.
“Very well.”
Su Mingyuan cast no further glance at the Nascent Soul Leaderboard, turning around and leaving the Martial Inquiry Arena.
Inside Wanbao Tower, the spiritual energy in the room gradually settled into stillness.
Yun Heng opened her eyes.
The spiritual energy surrounding her gathered inward, eventually submerging completely into her body.
In her dantian, the spiritual glow surrounding her Nascent Soul was even more condensed than half a month ago. As her spiritual power circulated through her meridians, it felt far more robust than before.
Late stage of Nascent Soul.
During these two weeks, Yun Heng had not left Wanbao Tower, devoting all her time to cultivation. Her realm had risen all the way from the mid stage of Nascent Soul to the late stage of Nascent Soul.
As Tianheng Guiyuan Art: Return to Truth operated, the surrounding spiritual energy was continuously refined by her. Entering her meridians without the slightest sluggishness, it was swiftly absorbed into her dantian.
Yun Heng looked down at her hands.
With a slight shift of her mind, her spiritual power flowed through her meridians, and her body suddenly became extremely light.
The next moment, her figure vanished from the couch. When she reappeared, she was already standing by the window, the entire movement producing almost no sound.
Yun Heng's eyes lit up.
The first chapter of the Void-Stepping Movement Technique had reached the beginner level.
This movement technique differed from ordinary wind-riding spells; it did not merely rely on spiritual power to boost speed, but allowed the body to flow along with the movement of the surrounding spiritual energy.
Having just reached the beginner level, her movement speed was already far faster than before.
If she continued to cultivate it in the future, whether dodging spells or striking close-range with her sword during actual combat, it would provide immense convenience.
Besides the Void-Stepping Movement Technique, the first chapter of the Formless Concealment Technique had also reached the beginner level.
With a thought from Yun Heng, the aura belonging to the late stage of Nascent Soul rapidly receded. In just a moment, the spiritual fluctuations on her body vanished completely; from the outside, she looked just like an ordinary person with no cultivation.
Cultivators below Soul Transformation could no longer directly see through her true cultivation realm.
Even a late-stage Soul Transformation cultivator would find it difficult to notice anything unusual at first glance without inspecting closely.
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