"Qi Refinement Realm cultivator..."
Mu Wanqing's gaze was calm as she listened to the reports of her subordinate responsible for intelligence, but her hand gripping the chair handle trembled slightly, betraying her inner agitation.
Suddenly, she raised her hand, dismissing the subordinate and slightly leaned back in her chair, taking in a deep breath mixed with complex emotions.
"Do you think I was too impulsive and might have accidentally offended the Ji Mansion?"
She asked abruptly, her gaze flickering subtly.
The figure of an old woman appeared in front of her as she bowed respectfully, speaking in a humble tone, "Young miss need not worry. Even if he is a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, so what? Our Noble Mu Family has dozens of Qi Refinement Realm cultivators, not to mention the esteemed Foundation Establishment Realm Grand Cultivators holding up the heavens. A single Qi Refinement Realm cultivator does not possess the capabilities to suppress the mountains and seas.
He should be grateful for the young miss giving the Ji Mansion a chance to become a top tier force in the Baiyun Prefecture and even the Qingyun Province, capable of holding its own for centuries."
The old woman's voice was flat, but the overwhelming condescension was barely hidden in her words.
Mu Wanqing visibly relaxed upon listening to the old woman, her gaze softening ever so slightly, "Indeed, it seems I was thinking too much. I just thought it would give my older siblings more leverage against me and reasons to prove my immaturity, using the excuse of offending a Qi Refinement Realm cultivator to pressure me before father and the elders. Now it seems it was unnecessary, Qi Refinement Realm is just that, in the end.
A mere Qi Refinement Realm cultivator, can he shake the heavens?"
...
It had been a week since then.
Ji Haotian had successfully stepped into the Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm a couple of days ago.
The incident from a week ago had been mostly forgotten by common people, who were back to their normal lives, while only Immortal Cultivators still discussed the events of that day.
But now, something else had also began to overshadow it.
That was, the Lingshan County Annual Talent Conference.
There was only a week remaining until the Annual Talent Conference, where all those prodigies under 20 from every town and village under Lingshan County would come to the County City to participate in a tournament to gain fame and most importantly, an opportunity to catch the wisdom eye of some powerful figure.
From reclusive powerhouses of the county to the esteemed figures from the Prefecture City, everyone would be present, and it was a rare chance to show off one's talent and establish connections.
The Great Jing Dynasty started organizing these Annual Talent Conferences in every county around 200 years ago so that true geniuses wouldn't be buried without even having a chance to show off their worth, as such major events usually only took place in Provincial Cities back then.
It is said that during the turbulent times of war more than 200 years ago, in the first Annual Talent Conference across the Great Jing, a powerful prodigy arose and became a trusted confidante of the then crown prince and now retired Emperor, helping him defeat his siblings including the most powerful fourth prince at the time to secure his position.
That prodigy was granted the status of a Noble, and is none other than the legendary Grand General Wu, considered the pinnacle of martial might in the Great Jing of today after 200 years.
He has been granted a mythical status within Great Jing and worshipped as the guardian deity of the nation by countless common people.
Although it has been a very, very long time since Immortal Cultivation was decentralized and became widespread, so long that even historical records barely mention it, many common people who do not have much knowledge about the Immortal Dao still worship cultivators as gods and devils.
At this moment, the Ji Mansion had returned to its former tranquility.
Only now, there was an extra sense of pride in the hearts of everyone who worked at the Ji Mansion.
It was because Ji Tianyu, the Lord of the Ji Mansion, was a strong individual beyond the Innate Realm.
This revelation completely changed the meaning behind the Ji Mansion's existence.
At this moment, in the trainings grounds, fist winds whirled everywhere, drawing the attention of dozens of people scurrying by.
Ji Haotian, now at the Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm, was currently sparring with Chen Guang, who had also broken through to the Ninth Stage of Meridian Cleansing Realm just a couple of days ago.
After Huang Chengdao distributed the resources given by Ji Tianyu, many people made progress, and some like Chen Guang even had minor realm breakthroughs, causing the overall strength of Ji Mansion to steadily increase over the past week.
"The young master, what realm is he exactly at right now?"
"From the surging Qi and Blood, young must must be at least at the Fifth Stage of Body Tempering Realm, right?"
"So prodigious! Has there ever been a Fifth Stage Body Tempering Realm cultivator under even 18 years old in the entire county?"
"Not just that, he's incredibly powerful too, probably not far from the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering Realm! He can probably reach the later stages of Body Tempering Realm before the age of 20!"
Exclamations full of respect and awe rose from around the training ground, as this was the first time the cultivators of the Ji Mansion had ever seen Ji Haotian display his combat prowess in public.
What they didn't know was that Ji Haotian was only at the Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm.
If there were minor realms in the Third Stage of Body Tempering Realm, then he would likely be around the mid stage.
Chen Guang's gaze was also filled with shock and awe, as he knew the truth and clearly felt Ji Haotian's power head on.
After a while, they stopped, jumping off the arena as Ji Haotian wiped the cold sweat off his face.
"Guard Chen, how was it? How strong do you think I am right now?"
He asked expectantly, a smug grin plastered across his face.
"Young master is truly a genius, capable of contending with the Sixth Stage of Body Tempering Realm despite just being at the Third Stage. I'm sure this year's number one genius of Lingshan County will be none other than you."
Chen Guang replied with a sigh full of admiration.
There was another thing Ji Haotian didn't tell him, that was, he wouldn't be far from the Fourth Stage of the Body Tempering Realm after a week just before the Talent Conference begins.