"Back then, Monarch Chixiao was besieged by numerous experts at Great Green Mountain, his Golden Core destroyed. Yet, ten years later, he returned with a vengeance, slaughtering over a dozen sects on Great Green Mountain until not a single scrap remained."
"Back then, even after Monarch Chixiao's Primordial Spirit was extinguished, what of it? He spent over twenty years Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea, and upon his return, who in the world did not fear him?"
"Back then..." "Back then, Monarch Chixiao dominated the world for over two hundred years, fought countless battles. His Golden Core, True Body, Violet Palace, Primordial Spirit... all were shattered...
He could be said to have risen and fallen nine times. Every time he fell, he would stand up again..." "I ask you, compared to what Monarch Chixiao endured, what does a mere failed Foundation Establishment amount to?"
Fei Kui spoke unhurriedly, his words turning Li Ziheng's face ashen and leaving him speechless. If the historical figures Gu Qingfeng mentioned earlier were unverifiable, then the deeds of Monarch Chixiao that Fei Kui spoke of now were absolutely verifiable.
"The Monarch is the Monarch. How can he be compared to Monarch Chixiao!"
Arrogant True Person Feixue uttered a cold, icy sentence.
If Li Ziheng would never allow Gu Qingfeng to be promoted to an inner disciple because of Li Sen, then True Person Feixue would absolutely not permit Gu Qingfeng's promotion either, because of Ouyang Ye.
"True Person Feixue, I beg to differ."
Fei Kui was very humble, having been bowing and keeping his head lowered all along. He said, "Gu Qingfeng indeed cannot be compared to Monarch Chixiao now, but who dares guarantee he never will be?
Do not bully the youth for his poverty. True Person Feixue, do not forget that Monarch Chixiao, that peerless hero who shook the ancient world, once worked as a menial laborer in our Yunxia Sect too."
Upon hearing this, everyone present exchanged glances.
The fact that Monarch Chixiao once worked as a menial in Yunxia Sect was a pain in the sect's heart, a perpetual shame hanging over its head, an insurmountable mountain Yunxia Sect could never bypass.
"Elder Rende, what do you say?"
Mentioning Monarch Chixiao, Elder Rende's expression also turned somewhat complex—more precisely, awkward. Stroking the white beard on his chin, he gazed at Gu Qingfeng in the arena, pondered for a moment, then nodded and said, "A failed Foundation Establishment does not equate to a severed cultivation path. Today, this old man will give this young man a chance."
"But Elder Rende..." Li Ziheng tried to speak, but before he could finish, Elder Rende interrupted: "Opportunity is equal for all. The matter of Monarch Chixiao teaches us that nothing in this world is ever absolute."
Elder Rende was the chief examiner. Since he had spoken, even if Li Ziheng had a hundred objections in his heart, he had no choice but to accept.
"Many thanks, Elder Rende."
Fei Kui bowed in gratitude.
He knew Elder Rende would agree.
Yes, he knew.
Because Monarch Chixiao, with his mad life, had told everyone in the world that nothing is absolute.
Compared to Monarch Chixiao, what was a failed Foundation Establishment?
Most importantly, Monarch Chixiao had once been a menial in Yunxia Sect. This was the sect's scar.
Fei Kui knew that as long as he invoked Monarch Chixiao, even if Elder Rende weren't present today, Li Ziheng wouldn't dare refuse.
Beside them, Gu Qingfeng watched this round, short, fat man with an amused smile. He truly hadn't expected this fatty to be such a smooth talker. No wonder Huode said this fellow would arrange everything properly.
"Elder Rende, although it's possible to attempt Foundation Establishment again after failure, however..." True Person Feixue's tone was always icy, as if devoid of any emotion. "However, the reason for Foundation Establishment failure is the distortion and chaos of the spiritual root, dantian, and meridians. It becomes very difficult to absorb heaven and earth spiritual energy thereafter. Moreover, his Foundation Establishment failure involved a mutation; his spiritual root has long since dissipated. A person without a spiritual root is almost completely cut off from heaven and earth spiritual energy..."
"Yes, Elder Rende, there isn't a trace of spiritual energy within him. If you allow him to take the examination, wouldn't that be unfair to the other disciples?"
Li Ziheng chimed in.
"This..." Elder Rende fell into hesitation.
Gu Qingfeng leisurely said, "Who told you I have no spiritual energy within me?"
"Even if you have spiritual power, it must have been converted from ingested pills. It's absolutely turbid and impure."
"Then open your eyes wide and see for yourself whether my spiritual power is turbid or not."
Gu Qingfeng gave a faint smile. Raising his hand, a wisp of flame ignited in his palm. The flame was like mist, yet also like light, crystalline and transparent, without any impurities.
Witnessing this scene, everyone present was astonished. Because Gu Qingfeng's spiritual power was not only not turbid, but...
But also incredibly pure, pure to the point of being spotless, like true innate spiritual power, supremely refined.
"See clearly now?" Gu Qingfeng asked lightly. "Turbid or not?"
"You!"
Li Ziheng was shocked and pale, standing there dumbfounded, his face ashen. He couldn't understand how a person without a spiritual root could possess such pure spiritual power.
He couldn't understand. No one could.
Among all cultivators, no one dared claim their spiritual power was absolutely pure. Because the spiritual energy between heaven and earth was inherently impure. After absorption and conversion into one's own spiritual power, it was even less likely to be pure. Moreover, cultivating in this world fundamentally relied on pills. Just taking one pill would make one's spiritual power a bit more turbid; the more one took, the more turbid it became.
It wasn't impossible to maintain absolutely pure spiritual power, but no one would do it. Because it was far too difficult. It required an extremely long and tedious process, refining one's spiritual power over and over again. And with each refinement, the spiritual power might become purer, but its quantity would decrease.
Could it be that after taking pills, this person continuously refined his spiritual power?
Until it became pure?
Unknown.
No one knew.
"Such pure spiritual power!"
Elder Rende seemed quite excited, his eyes wide with repeated astonishment. "This old man has cultivated for several hundred years and has never seen spiritual power so pure. Young man, how did you achieve this?"
"Refined it."
Refined it?
Clearly, Elder Rende couldn't accept this answer, because he himself had tried refining his own spiritual power and knew how arduous the process was.
"Do any of you still have objections?" Gu Qingfeng said with a smile. "If not, then let's continue. There are still two disciples waiting behind."
"Young man, how is your immortal art?"
"Passable."
Fei Kui stepped forward beside him and said, "Gu Qingfeng's mastery of musical arts is particularly exquisite. He once played Drunken Chanting of the Blue Sea on an empty guqin at First-Class Villa and managed to evoke its artistic conception. Master Wenzhu personally praised him for it at the time."
"Fei Kui! What is he to you? You seem to be promoting him constantly?"
Li Ziheng seemed to have detected something fishy.
"Gu Qingfeng is nothing to me. I am merely stating a fact and cannot bear to see a genius buried because of a failed Foundation Establishment."
"Genius? Hmph! Whether his musical art is exquisite or not, I don't know and haven't witnessed it myself. I only know that the immortal arts tested in our Yunxia Sect's inner disciple examination are the martial art 'Flame Cloud Palm', the spell technique 'Flame Thunder Art', and the sword art 'Rainbow Sword Technique'."
Among the Ten Arts of the Immortal Path, martial arts, spell techniques, and sword arts were the mainstream immortal arts.
Flame Cloud Palm, Flame Thunder Art, and Rainbow Sword Technique were Yunxia Sect's foundational immortal arts, also mandatory arts. Among these three foundational arts, achieving Minor Art Success in one was sufficient for promotion.
"Immortal arts, that's all. Minor Art Success is enough, right?"
True to his name, Gu Qingfeng at this moment was truly like a gentle breeze—calm, mild, leisurely, and at ease. He slightly raised his arm, flicked his fingertip, and a flash of light appeared. Instantly, a flame thunderbolt materialized in mid-air.
The flame thunderbolt was about two meters long. Upon appearing, it crackled and sizzled, with electric sparks flashing within. This was the power of Flame Thunder, containing exactly twenty-seven bolts.
It was common knowledge that Yunxia Sect's Flame Thunder Art contained eighty-one bolts of flame thunder power.
If one could unleash nine bolts, that was considered Entry Level.
If one could unleash eighteen bolts, that was considered Proficiency.
If one could unleash twenty-seven bolts, that was considered Minor Art Success.
The Flame Thunder Art Gu Qingfeng executed contained precisely twenty-seven bolts of flame thunder power, neither more nor less, indicating he had cultivated this Flame Thunder Art to Minor Art Success.