The Misty Sect's viewing platform was now centered around Lin Yichen and the others.
The concentration of spiritual energy in the air grew denser. Elder Tiandao instructed the Misty Sect elders to vigilantly observe their surroundings.
With Elder Tiandao personally guarding Lin Yichen and the others, any stirrings of malicious intent from others were quelled.
Lin Yichen and the rest closed their eyes, their breakthroughs reaching a critical juncture. Naturally, they were unable to pay attention to their surroundings.
The most crucial aspect during a cultivator's breakthrough was to avoid disturbance.
Fortunately, Elder Tiandao had previously set up formations to separate the five individuals, and had the elders collectively provide protection.
Otherwise, given Lin Yichen and the others' abrupt and reckless breakthroughs, something serious might have happened.
Seeing that the others' conditions were stable, Zhang Ergou’s clenched fists loosened slightly.
...
Two hours later, Zhang Ergou was the first to notice a halo of light emanating from Lin Yichen’s body.
The light then intensified, and soon Lin Yueru, Wang Teng, Xiao Qingyu, and Lu Xiaoyu also began to radiate with brilliance.
“Are they about to break through?” Zhang Ergou murmured.
“Haha, truly heaven aids our Misty Sect,” Elder Tiandao’s hearty laughter echoed across the entire competition arena.
His pride was unconcealed.
The elders and sect leaders of the smaller sects could only look on with envy.
Meanwhile, the sect leader of Liuhai Sect, Liu Xun, and his elders wore expressions of profound gloom.
Originally, the Liuhai Sect had a significant advantage in this sect competition.
A year ago, the Saintess’s bloodline awakening had directly propelled the younger disciples of the Liuhai Sect to a higher level of power.
It had also put them far ahead of their greatest competitor, the Misty Sect.
The Misty Sect's mysterious first-ranked disciple on the inner sect rankings had never participated in the sect competition.
Before the Saintess Ling Feng'er awakened her bloodline, the Liuhai Sect had some concerns about the strength of the Misty Sect's Golden Core disciples.
However, after Ling Feng'er awakened her bloodline, the higher-ups of the Liuhai Sect, led by Liu Xun, were completely at ease.
Ling Feng'er, with her awakened bloodline, was undoubtedly invincible within the same cultivation realm. Moreover, due to Ling Feng'er's preemptive actions, the Liuhai Sect's Golden Core disciples had performed far beyond their usual capabilities in the preliminary rounds.
The Liuhai Sect had three more Golden Core disciples entering the finals compared to the Misty Sect.
Do not underestimate these three Golden Core cultivators; they represented a considerable fighting force.
However, the Misty Sect's sudden simultaneous breakthroughs of five Foundation Establishment cultivators was an exceptionally rare occurrence, especially during a competition.
This was not what the Liuhai Sect's higher-ups wanted to see.
Lin Yichen and the others had previously participated in the Foundation Establishment realm competition. Although they broke through to the Golden Core realm before the competition ended, they were still eligible to participate in the earlier Foundation Establishment matches.
For the Misty Sect, gaining five Golden Core fighters instantly tipped the scales in their favor.
It was expected that Lin Yichen and the others would advance to the finals without any obstacles.
The vast difference between the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core realms was something the high-ranking officials of the Liuhai Sect could not be unaware of.
If Lin Yichen and the others had all entered the finals before, they would not have been overly concerned.
But the simultaneous breakthrough of Lin Yichen and the others to the Golden Core realm had completely disrupted their plans and arrangements.
...
“Haha, exhilarating!” Lin Yichen was the first to emerge from his cultivation state. Immediately, people felt that Lin Yichen’s entire aura had changed.
Before long, Lin Yueru, Wang Teng, Xiao Qingyu, and Lu Xiaoyu also awoke from their cultivation.
Their joyful expressions and the surge in their auras clearly indicated that they had all successfully broken through.
Zhang Ergou was naturally overjoyed, genuinely happy for his friends.
However, to everyone's surprise, after Lin Yichen and the others awoke, they walked directly up to Zhang Ergou.
Then, the five of them bowed in unison to Zhang Ergou: “Er Gou, thank you!”
“Ah, this…” Zhang Ergou was suddenly a bit flustered, unsure of what to say.
He felt he hadn’t done anything; Lin Yichen and the others’ breakthroughs were merely due to their deep accumulation.
Once someone resolved their doubts, they would naturally break through.
It was only a matter of time.
Elder Tiandao and the other elders remained silent, quietly observing the young ones.
Subtly, they noticed that these young ones revolved around Zhang Ergou, and from what had just happened, it was evident that the ones who broke through were genuinely grateful to Zhang Ergou.
Although they didn't know what Zhang Ergou had done before, the elders, led by Elder Tiandao, began to pay attention to him.
Elder Tiandao had already noticed Zhang Ergou, but Zhang Ergou had once again surprised him.
He surmised that Lin Yichen and the others’ breakthroughs must be related to Zhang Ergou, otherwise, those young ones would not have worn such solemn expressions.
“What a mysterious young man,” Elder Tiandao muttered to himself.
The more he understood Zhang Ergou, the more mysterious the young man seemed. With his experience and insight, he couldn't quite see through this boy.
This was the first time in many years that a young disciple had given him such a feeling.
Zhang Ergou was naturally unaware that his actions had drawn the attention of the Misty Sect elders.
It would be difficult for him to remain low-key from now on.
Of course, given his style, he wouldn't be able to keep a low profile for long.
He casually took out five pills and handed them to Lin Yichen and the others. Their auras had not yet stabilized after their recent breakthrough to the Golden Core realm.
The pills Zhang Ergou gave them would help consolidate their cultivation and stabilize their auras.
Without a word, the group swallowed the pills, and soon, everyone felt that Lin Yichen and the others’ auras had stabilized considerably.
“Such miraculous pills?”
A Golden Core disciple of the Misty Sect beside them said with envy.
“You don’t know this, but I heard Zhang Ergou is also an alchemist.”
“What?”
The two’s conversation was not hushed, and their voices clearly reached everyone present.
Many people had not heard that Zhang Ergou possessed such an identity before.
Even Elder Tiandao heard for the first time that Zhang Ergou was an alchemist.
Not only the disciples, but even the eyes of the Misty Sect elders changed as they looked at Zhang Ergou.
Everyone’s gaze towards Zhang Ergou now held a hint of ingratiation.
If Zhang Ergou were merely a mid-stage Golden Core cultivator, the elders would have viewed him as just a promising disciple.
But once Zhang Ergou’s identity as an alchemist was revealed, the elders’ thoughts became much more active.
In cultivation, not only personal insights and spiritual energy are crucial, but pills also play a vital role.
Qiao Yanyun, despite only being in the late-stage Golden Core realm, held a special position in the Misty Sect.
This was precisely because she had been the Misty Sect’s only alchemist before.