Chapter 36: Freak of Nature

“Really? Big Sis Xu Ziyan, you broke through again? You’re at the Ninth Layer of Houtian now?”

This time, the shout didn’t come from Xu Li, but from Xu Qingxue. This girl, who only ever focused on cultivation, looked Xu Ziyan up and down with shock and envy, a trace of dejection shimmering in her eyes.

Bitterly, Xu Qingxue thought to herself that back when they first entered the Outer Hall, she had even sparred with this Xu Ziyan standing before her. Back then, both were at the Sixth Level of Houtian, with her just slightly weaker. Who could have imagined that in just a few short months, Xu Ziyan had broken through one after another, jumping straight from the Sixth Layer of Houtian to the Ninth!

Xu Ziyan gave a slight nod. “Mhm.”

“Wow! Big Sis Xu Ziyan, you’re amazing! You only just broke through to the Eighth Layer of Houtian two days ago! Who would have thought, just a few days later, you broke through again?” Xu Li, who was holding Xu Ziyan’s hand, shook it even more vigorously. There wasn’t a shred of dejection in Xu Li’s heart. She had long stopped comparing herself to Xu Ziyan. In her own words, Xu Ziyan was simply an anomaly, fundamentally different from ordinary people like herself. Comparing yourself to Xu Ziyan was just asking for misery.

Many others shared Xu Li’s sentiment. Aside from Xu Qingxue who still felt somewhat down, the other Outer Hall Disciples all held the same view. But the Inner Hall Disciples standing nearby were different; they stared at Xu Ziyan in utter shock.

They too had walked the Houtian path step by step, first entering the Outer Hall, then enduring countless hardships to get into the Inner Hall. Who hadn’t experienced the struggles of cultivation, the frustration of breaking through bottlenecks? Each one took years, even over a decade, to move from the Outer Hall to the Inner Hall.

Hearing that Xu Ziyan had broken through from the Seventh Layer of Houtian to the Eighth just days before, and then from the Eighth Layer to the Ninth Layer of Houtian only days later, shock was all they felt, leaving them dumbfounded.

Xu Jin couldn’t stop himself from asking urgently, “You said this Junior Sister Xu Ziyan just broke through a few days ago?”

“Yes!” Before Xu Ziyan could even nod, Xu Li beside her jumped in to answer. “It was the night we left Zhongdu City, Big Sis Xu Ziyan broke through exactly then!”

“Truly?” Xu Jin stared intently at Xu Ziyan, hoping to get confirmation from her.

Xu Ziyan gave Xu Li a reproachful glare. Seeing Xu Li stick out her tongue playfully and make a cute face, Xu Ziyan could only shake her head helplessly. She then turned back to Xu Jin with a polite smile.

“It’s true, Senior Brother Xu Jin.”

“Oh!” Xu Jin looked Xu Ziyan over thoughtfully. She probably cultivated for several years without a breakthrough, building up her foundation. That intense accumulation is causing these successive breakthroughs now, he assumed.

Thinking this, Xu Jin’s state of mind settled considerably. He smiled at Xu Ziyan and said, “Congratulations, Junior Sister Xu Ziyan! Years of arduous cultivation have finally paid off in these successive breakthroughs. Truly something to celebrate.”

Before Xu Ziyan could respond with modesty, Xu Li beside her was about to speak. But then Xu Tieniu’s deep, muffled voice came from the side.

“Senior Brother is mistaken. Boss Xu hasn’t cultivated for many years. She was only at the Sixth Level of Houtian when she entered the Outer Hall. We are all recently joined Disciples, having entered the Outer Hall just a few months ago.”

“What?!”

Xu Jin and all the other Inner Hall Disciples froze simultaneously, staring in utter disbelief at Xu Tieniu who had spoken. Their eyes plainly expressed the thought: Dude, how can you spin such a tale? Breaking through from the Sixth Layer of Houtian to the Ninth in just months? You treat breakthroughs like a game?

Xu Tieniu read their meaning clearly. Honest and earnest, he took offense. He said solemnly to the Inner Hall Disciples, “I’m an honest man. I don’t tell lies. If you don’t believe me, ask them!” He finished by pointing a thick, strong finger at the Outer Hall Disciples beside him.

The gazes of the Inner Hall Disciples snapped in unison towards the new Outer Hall Disciples. Without hesitation, the new Outer Hall Disciples nodded strenuously and in perfect agreement. Doubt still lingered in the Inner Hall Disciples’ hearts, so they collectively turned their eyes back to Xu Ziyan. Feeling trapped, Xu Ziyan gave a tight, grimacing smile.

“Yes.”

That simple ‘Yes’ made every Inner Hall Disciple’s jaw drop. A few months? From the Sixth Layer of Houtian to the Ninth? This… this… was just too monstrous!

“How… how did you do it?” Xu Jin asked, sounding as if in a dream.

“Well… I don’t know. I just cultivated and cultivated… and then I broke through by accident.”

“By accident…”

The hearts of every Inner Hall Disciple gave a painful squeeze. A wave of nausea rose, threatening to make them cough up blood. Their gazes directed at Xu Ziyan gradually turned resentful. Each thought inwardly: Big Sis, you can’t hit us this hard with reality! If you keep cultivating at this speed, won’t you surpass us in no time?

Seeing everyone’s expression, Xu Ziyan also felt awkward. Anyone would feel uncomfortable being stared at relentlessly by a group of people with such pointedly resentful gazes.

Xu Ziyan silently thought, If they only knew we’re at the Third Layer of Qi Refining Stage now, I wonder if their eyeballs would pop out. But she didn’t want to get tangled up in this further. An idea sparked. She raised her hand, pointing towards the nearly thousand Monster Beast corpses scattered on the slope below.

“Senior Brother Xu Jin, how about we go down and clean up those Monster Beast carcasses?”

“Oh, okay!”

Xu Jin responded absently, still dazed. Suddenly jolting out of his stupor, he hastily lifted a hand to stop the Outer Hall Disciples who were about to move.

“No!” He turned urgently to Xu Ziyan. “Junior Sister Xu Ziyan, didn’t you say before that Monster Beasts could attack at any time, that we shouldn’t bother with the corpses yet?”

Xu Ziyan blinked, remembering she had indeed said that. But that was then, this was now. All the Monster Beasts were likely heading towards the Imperial Highway, Changri Valley, and Luofeng Ridge by now. None would probably come here. Of course, she couldn’t possibly reveal the truth and talk about her Beast Luring Talisman. If this got out to the City Lord’s Manor, the Xiao Family, and the Wu Family, those three forces would undoubtedly tear her apart. So Xu Ziyan just smiled lightly.

“Senior Brother Xu Jin, last night, seeing the endless snowstorm gave me a moment of Sudden Enlightenment, which led to my breakthrough. While immersed in that enlightenment, I unconsciously headed in the direction of Changri Valley. Once I broke through and came back to my senses, I found large numbers of Monster Beasts all rushing towards Changri Valley.

On my way back, I didn’t encounter a single Monster Beast. I think it’s likely they’ve all headed towards Changri Valley. As you can see,” she gestured around, “it’s completely quiet here, not a sign of Monster Beasts? Besides, last night was for rest, to recover from the exhaustion after the battle. Now that we are all recovered, wouldn’t it be better to go gather the Monster Beast carcasses first? If they come, we’ll definitely hear them approaching.”