The first thing Lingxiao did upon returning to Qingxu Academy was to visit Ji Mingkong.
At this moment, although Ji Mingkong was weak, she did not appear dispirited.
Moreover, her heavenly meridian seemed to have been reconnected by someone. Although she would have to start cultivating from scratch, at least she could no longer be considered completely crippled.
“Thank you.”
Ji Mingkong had also heard about the events outside, and she was very happy.
In terms of closeness, her relationship with Lingxiao was not as intimate as that with Leng Mei, Lan Yuer, Dai Yuling, and others.
Yet Lingxiao had killed Ji Mingxing for her sake, which ignited in her heart a determination that she must recover.
“What’s there to thank me for? Back in Beimo City, didn’t you also fight on the battlefield for me and my friends?”
Lingxiao smiled and said, “This is what I ought to do. Besides, take these few pills. Although your cultivation has been destroyed, you have the experience and foundation, and your body meets the conditions. Forcibly using pills to break through the Mortal Realm and the Heavenly Human Realm is entirely possible.
Only after advancing to the Heavenly Human Realm will you need to cultivate slowly on your own. Of course, you can also supplement with pills. I estimate that in less than a month, you will be able to restore your former cultivation level. You will definitely catch up with the Dragon Phoenix Selection. I have great confidence in you.”
“Great kindness needs no words of thanks.”
Ji Mingkong wanted to cry, but in the end, she held back the tears.
To repay the favour was simple. Once her cultivation recovered, helping Lingxiao would be enough.
“Why thank me at all? Aren’t we friends?”
Lingxiao smiled, then turned his gaze to the others in the room.
Lan Yuer, Dai Yuling, Dai Yaoling, Long Chen, Feng Yanran, Ying Wuya.
The Zhao siblings had already returned to the Tianlong Continent, because they were members of the Beihan Kingdom’s royal family, and Lingxiao needed them to stabilise the kingdom, so they were not present here.
The cultivation of the remaining people had all improved during these six months.
However, the one who progressed the fastest was still Long Chen.
The young dragon from the Dragon Clan had truly terrifying talent, and his cultivation speed was astonishing.
Now, he had reached the peak of the First Cave Heaven Realm, and it would not take long to break through to the Second Cave Heaven Realm.
Without Lingxiao, he would undoubtedly be the top expert among the current disciples of Qingxu Academy.
Originally, Ji Mingkong was only slightly weaker than him, stronger than Ji Mingxing, but unfortunately, she had now been crippled.
Lan Yuer, Feng Yanran, and Ying Wuya were in the second tier. All three had reached the breakthrough phase of the Half-Step Cave Heaven Realm, which was quite impressive.
Dai Yuling and Dai Yaoling were in the third tier. Both had cultivation at the peak of the Ten Directions Heaven.
“Hmm, not bad. In these six months, you haven’t wasted your time. I’m very pleased. It just so happens that this time I brought two types of combination pills. One type can give Heavenly Human Realm warriors a seventy to eighty percent chance of breaking through one or two realms. Take them and use them.”
As he spoke, he took out the pills.
When refining them initially, he naturally had not forgotten these close friends who had shared life and death with him.
The few of them accepted the pills without refusing.
Because there was no need to.
Only by improving their strength could they possibly help Lingxiao more in the future. Otherwise, they would only become a burden to him, which was not what they wanted to see.
Moreover, the Dragon Phoenix Selection was about to begin, and their Tianchao Empire naturally wanted to compete for places in it.
“Senior Brother Ling, what exactly is your cultivation level now?”
Long Chen finally could not hold back and asked the question that had been on his mind.
He had wanted to ask this back at Ji Mingxing’s wedding, and now he was even more eager to know.
After all, the combat power Lingxiao had displayed was truly terrifyingly strong.
“No need to ask. He has naturally advanced to the Cave Heaven Realm. Otherwise, how could he have so easily killed Tian Penghuangzi Peng Yue?”
Ying Wuya said.
Lingxiao smiled, but kept them in suspense. “What my cultivation realm is, you will naturally find out during the Dragon Phoenix Selection.”
Seeing that he would not say, the others did not press further.
The reason Lingxiao kept it secret was that, up to now, even he himself could not determine exactly what his cultivation level was.
While in the Tianchao Divine Capital, he had found the Human King’s notes inside the Imperial Seal and tried cultivating according to the method described therein.
Afterwards, he entered a very peculiar state.
It was hard to pinpoint the exact realm of his cultivation.
It felt as though he had not yet integrated this state into his own cultivation. This required a very special opportunity to succeed.
He had originally thought Ji Mingxing would give him a surprise.
But unfortunately, dealing with Ji Mingxing had been too easy, with absolutely no pressure at all.
What he needed now was pressure, and it had to be the pressure of death.
Others might not know, but the reason he had so madly killed Ji Mingxing and Peng Yue was also related to his current cultivation bottleneck.
If he did not resolve this vague and ethereal state he was in, his cultivation might never advance another inch.
In order to break through, he had to place himself in mortal danger and then survive.
Looking at Lingxiao, everyone could not help but feel some emotion.
Long Chen, Lan Yuer, and Dai Yuling were fine. They had always known Lingxiao’s outstanding aptitude, so even if he had truly broken through to the Cave Heaven Realm, it was not surprising.
But for Ji Mingkong, Ying Wuya, and Feng Yanran, it was different.
Especially Feng Yanran. When Lingxiao first arrived in the Divine Phoenix Empire, his cultivation was only at the First Line Heaven of the Heavenly Human Realm.
Who could have imagined that in just over a year, this person could now easily slay warriors of the First Cave Heaven Realm.
What Ji Mingkong and Ying Wuya marvelled at was that, back during the Martial Dao Festival, although Lingxiao had taken first place, he was not much stronger than Ji Mingkong.
Now, he had far surpassed both Ji Mingkong and Ying Wuya, becoming a true heavenly prodigy of this generation.
Lingxiao’s talent made people look up to him in awe.
The Cave Heaven Realm was a powerful realm that countless warriors pursued.
Only by entering this realm could one be considered to have truly stepped into the hall of mastery, possessing one’s own cave heaven domain and living much longer.
Long Chen was from the Dragon Clan, with extraordinary innate talent, so that was understandable.
Ji Mingkong carried the Human King’s bloodline, so that too was understandable.
But what special quality did Lingxiao have that allowed his cultivation speed to be so fast?
There were probably still secrets about Lingxiao.
However, none of the people present asked.
They believed that when Lingxiao was willing to speak, he would naturally tell them. There was no need to deliberately inquire.
“Come on, let’s go to the Tianyuan Treasure Pagoda. After taking the pills, you few can go into secluded cultivation. I will personally stand guard for you.”
Lingxiao knew that ever since he left, the Tianyuan Treasure Pagoda had practically become an exclusive cultivation site for the Divine Phoenix Academy.
Only Long Chen and Ji Mingkong still dared to go there to cultivate. Most of the other Qingxu Academy disciples could only cultivate within the academy itself, feeling helpless about it.
Now that Long Chen had broken through to the Cave Heaven Realm, cultivating in the Tianyuan Treasure Pagoda no longer held much meaning. Qingxu Academy had specially arranged a secret realm for him.
Although Qingxu Academy appeared quiet and deserted now, it was, after all, a great academy with deep foundations. Such secret realms did exist.
Moreover, the quality of these secret realms was quite good.
