Chapter 11

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The room suddenly fell silent, and Xu Li whispered softly, "There is!"

"Really? Who are they? Tell us about them!" Xu Ziyang asked curiously.

"Now I believe you live in a remote mountain village, Ziyang. You don’t even know the famous figures on the continent! It’s clear how isolated the place you stayed in was." Saying this, she looked at Xu Ziyang with a sigh, "If it weren’t for your uncle discovering you, a world-class talent would have been buried."

Xu Ziyang blushed at the praise, feeling a bit embarrassed, and said softly, "Xu Li, don’t mock me. I have little experience. Just tell me about them quickly."

Xu Li suddenly became serious and said to Xu Ziyang very earnestly, "Ziyang, you will definitely not be a mere fish in a pond in the future. You will soar to the sky. When that time comes, don’t forget us."

"Yes! Ziyang, don’t forget us," the others also said very seriously, their eyes filled with anticipation.

Xu Ziyang suddenly felt at a loss, but she quickly realized that everyone was imagining her future, hoping that she would take care of them when she became strong. After all, to be frank, the four people in front of her, who had been practicing since the age of three, had only barely reached the fifth layer of the Later Heaven stage by the age of fifteen, and had no significant development. Even if Xu Ziyang kept giving them pills, they would not become peak-level existences. So it was normal for them to have this thought.

After thinking clearly about everything, Xu Ziyang quickly adjusted her mindset. She knew that if she remained humble at this moment, she might be misunderstood. So she smiled and said, "If I really soar to the sky as you all predict, Ziyang will definitely not forget your kindness today."

"Great!" Everyone was delighted and clapped and laughed.

After the laughter subsided, Xu Li organized her words and said softly, "This continent is vast. Our Xu family is located in the north of the continent, and with our status, we know very little. I only know that there are four major families in the north: the Han family of Jueque City, the Zhou family of Canglang City, the Yang family of Nanlin City, and our Xu family of Zhongdu City.

It is said that the Zhou family of Canglang City has produced a genius named Zhou Hao, who is the son of the current head of the Zhou family. He started practicing at the age of three, broke through to the fifth layer of the Later Heaven stage at the age of five, and entered the Innate stage at the age of seven. Now, at the age of eighteen, he has already reached the fifth layer of the Qi Cultivation stage.

The Yang family of Nanlin City has also produced a genius named Yang Linglong, who is the daughter of the current head of the Yang family. Her progress is almost the same as Zhou Hao's. Now, at the age of eighteen, she is also at the fifth layer of the Qi Cultivation stage.

As for the Han family of Jueque City, they haven’t produced any geniuses. It is said that the most outstanding young member of the Han family is a young man named Han Cheng, who is seventeen years old and only at the second layer of the Qi Cultivation stage. The most outstanding member of our Xu family is the son of Uncle Jiu, named Xu Tianlang, who is said to be about to break through to the third layer of the Qi Cultivation stage."

"So, the most powerful are Zhou Hao and Yang Linglong, right?" Xu Ziyang asked softly. After hearing Xu Li’s words, she couldn’t help but feel a bit disappointed. She was only fifteen years old and had only been practicing for a few months, yet she had already reached the second layer of the Qi Cultivation stage.

She believed that with the help of her pills, once her talisman-making skills reached the third grade, she could create talisman arrays. At that time, she would create a spirit-gathering talisman array for herself. With the dual help of pills and talisman arrays, her realm would certainly advance faster. Although she started late, she firmly believed that by the time she was eighteen, she would not be inferior to Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao. And as time went on, she would surpass them, even leaving them far behind.

"No!" Xu Li shook her head and said, "This is just in the north. I don’t know about other places. And these are just the experts in the secular world. As for the disciples of the sects, they are not something we can know. However, one thing is certain: the experts in the sects are definitely much more advanced in cultivation than those in the secular world. If Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao enter a sect, they don’t even need to enter a major sect; even a minor sect would probably not consider them as average."

"Really? How do you know?"

"Xu Ling knows more about this. Let Xu Ling explain." Xu Li looked at Xu Ling.

Xu Ling did not refuse and continued, "My distant cousin was selected by a minor sect called Chiyang Sect five years ago. When he entered the Chiyang Sect, he was at the first layer of the Qi Cultivation stage. Last year, when he came back to visit his family, he said that the first layer of the Qi Cultivation stage is the lowest level in the Chiyang Sect. People with the cultivation of Yu Linglong and Zhou Qiang are common in the Chiyang Sect and do not count as talents."

At this point, Xu Ling paused and continued, "According to my cousin, the spiritual energy in the sect is much higher than in our secular families, and they are also given pills. Last year, when my cousin came back, he was already at the third layer of the Qi Cultivation stage."

A look of envy flashed in Xu Ling’s eyes. The others were also filled with longing, and even Xu Ziyang was moved. But just for a moment, Xu Ziyang asked in confusion, "If the sects are so good, why don’t Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao join a sect? If your cousin could join a sect at the first layer of the Qi Cultivation stage, then Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao should have no problem, right?"

"They just want to join a better sect. If they can join a major sect, the cultivation environment there is not comparable to a minor sect." Xu Dezhi said enviously, "In two years, it will be the time for Huayang Sect and Tai Xuan Sect to open their doors and recruit disciples. I think Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao must want to join one of these two sects, which is why they haven’t joined the minor sects."

"Oh~~" Xu Ziyang suddenly understood and raised her eyebrows, "It seems that Yang Linglong and Zhou Hao have great ambitions! They are truly geniuses, and their thoughts are different!"

"Tsk! What’s so great about it!" Xu Li snorted, "It’s said that Zhou Hao is just a pile of pills, while Yang Linglong is said to have excellent talent."

"What’s wrong with taking pills?" Xu Ziyang asked, puzzled, looking at everyone’s expressions, she couldn’t help but feel worried.

Xu Tieniu said in a deep voice, "Completely relying on pills to enhance strength will lead to an unstable foundation, making it difficult to break through in the later stages. Moreover, the combat power will be weaker compared to people of the same realm."

Xu Ziyang was taken aback, thinking, "No! In my inheritance, it says that after reaching the ninth layer of the Qi Cultivation stage, as long as you take foundation-strengthening pills along with the pills that enhance cultivation, you can solve the problem of an unstable foundation. Why is Xu Tieniu saying there will be an unstable foundation and weak combat power? Is the information in my inheritance incorrect?"

Xu Ziyang hesitated for a moment, feeling that this matter was too important for her, so she couldn’t help but ask, "I once heard that taking foundation-strengthening pills can avoid these problems, right?"

"Foundation-strengthening pills?"

Everyone exclaimed in surprise, looking at Xu Ziyang as if they didn’t recognize her. Xu Ziyang felt a chill down her back and said weakly, "What’s wrong? Did I say something wrong?"

"Ziyang, foundation-strengthening pills are already legendary. The formula has long been lost. If there were foundation-strengthening pills, there would be no problem at all. But that’s just a dream!" Xu Li shook her head, as if she were dreaming.

"The formula is lost?" Xu Ziyang was taken aback, thinking, "I have it in my inheritance! So, taking pills should not be a problem. When I reach the ninth layer of the Qi Cultivation stage, I can just refine some foundation-strengthening pills for myself. I was just scared for a moment."

"However, it’s their strength to have pills to take. We don’t even have the chance to take them." Xu Ling said gloomily.

Everyone was stunned, thinking that Xu Ling was right, and they all felt a bit depressed. Xu Dezhi also smiled bitterly, "Without taking pills, we probably won’t break through to the Innate stage in our lifetime. If there were pills that could help me break through to the Innate stage, I would take them even if my realm was unstable."

"Yes, we are all poor children with poor talent. We will probably stop at the outer hall for the rest of our lives. As for Ziyang, if you have a lot of pills to take in the future, you should be cautious."

"Me? How could I have a lot of pills?" Xu Ziyang smiled bitterly, trying to hide her true self.

"Ha ha, who knows, in two years, if you are selected by Xuantian Sect and Huayang Sect, you will have a lot of pills to take!"

"Please, I’m only at the sixth layer of the Later Heaven stage now. Don’t joke about me. Let’s drink, let’s drink!"

"Alright, let’s drink!"

Everyone raised their glasses, clinked them together, and drank in one go. However, after the conversation, everyone’s mood was not high, and the atmosphere became a bit oppressive. They lost the interest in chatting. After some more talk, they settled the bill and left.

For several days, the snow kept falling, and the ground was covered with thick snow. Cold winds blew the snow into their necks. The five of them walked through the snow towards the outer hall of the family. In the flying snow, Xu Ziyang saw a familiar figure coming from the opposite direction. She squinted and immediately recognized the person as the one she had bumped into on her first day in Zhongdu City, whom Xu Ximei seemed to call "Brother Lin."

By this time, both parties were already close. The "Brother Lin" also saw the five of them. Xu Li and